Title

Organisational Learning And Self-Adaptation In Dynamic Disaster Environments

Keywords

Complex adaptive systems; Disasters; Emergency management; Organisational change; Organisational learning

Abstract

This paper examines the problems associated with inter-organisational learning and adaptation in the dynamic environments that characterise disasters. The research uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate whether organisational learning took place during and in the time in between five disaster response operations in Turkey. The availability of information and its exchange and distribution within and among organisational actors determine whether selfadaptation happens in the course of a disaster response operation. Organisational flexibility supported by an appropriate information infrastructure creates conditions conducive to essential interaction and permits the flow of information. The study found that no significant organisational learning occurred within Turkish disaster management following the earthquakes in Erzincan (1992), Dinar (1995) and Ceyhan (1998). By contrast, the 'symmetry-breaking' Marmara earthquake of 1999 initiated a 'double loop' learning process that led to change in the organisational, technical and cultural aspects of Turkish disaster management, as revealed by the Duzce earthquake response operations. © Overseas Development Institute, 2006.

Publication Date

4-1-2006

Publication Title

Economic Outlook

Volume

30

Issue

2

Number of Pages

212-233

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0361-3666.2006.00316.x

Socpus ID

33646492150 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/33646492150

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