Suchergebnisse

In an effort to deal with complex community issues in a more comprehensive and cohesive manner, communities have increasingly created locally based interorganizational entities, referred to here as community collaboratives. Community collaboratives are comprised of representatives from multiple organizations and public agencies who meet regularly for the purpose of identifying and implementing strategies for improving their community's response to a specific issue of public concern. This article explores the role of problem frames and perceptions of problem frame alignment among members of community collaboratives. Specifically, this study uses an innovative combination of social network analysis methods and hierarchical linear modeling to explore how differences in the extent to which stakeholders view themselves in alignment with other members and how much they are perceived to be in alignment by other members effects the outcomes of the collaborative as a whole. Findings are based on data from members of 48 different domestic violence community collaboratives. Results suggest that the presence of stakeholders who are perceived to be philosophically out of sync by other stakeholders with regards to their understanding of domestic violence but do not acknowledge this apparent disconnect can negatively impact the effectiveness of the collaborative over and above the impact associated with the general degree of alignment in the collaborative. Implications of results for public and nonprofit organizations seeking to provide leadership in promoting the effectiveness of community collaboratives are discussed. Adapted from the source document.

AbstractIn an era when unprecedented events are occurring with increasing frequency, public management theory is challenged to consider whether it is possible to better prepare agencies to respond to situations previously neither expected, nor even seriously imagined. In this paper, we consider the case of the 2016 Chimney Tops 2 wildfire that contributed to the destruction of neighborhoods in and around Gatlinburg, TN. We argue this case illuminates a critical gap in extant organizational theory concerning the factors that impede sensemaking processes, which are fundamental to models of high reliability organizations during unprecedented events. Specifically, based on insights from this case considered through an institutional lens, we theorize that the nature of unprecedented events undermines an adaptive response through both structural and cultural/institutional processes. Structurally, we demonstrate how public agencies evolve to the contingencies of their normal task environment, which we should anticipate will be maladapted to the task demands of an unprecedented event. However, we theorize the greater challenge lies in the processes by which these structural features of the agency, over time, create, and reinforce a dominant institutional logic which can delay and weaken sensemaking processes, even when discrepant environmental cues are present. We conclude with a discussion of remedies that may facilitate earlier recognition, and thus more effective agency response, when the unprecedented is occurring.

Abstract
The complexity of large-scale disasters requires governance structures that can integrate numerous responders quickly under often chaotic conditions. Complex disasters – by definition – span multiple jurisdictions and activate numerous response functions carried out by numerous legally autonomous public, nonprofit, and private actors. The command operating structure of the Incident Command System (ICS) is a hierarchical structure used to manage complex incidents. Increasingly, complex disasters are seen as networks of multiple actors. Improving our capacity to respond to large-scale, complex disasters requires moving beyond the "hierarchy versus networks" debate to understand the conditions under which governance structures can best serve disaster response goals. Understanding the capabilities and limitations of the governance structures embedded in our national policy tools and frameworks can enhance our ability to govern effectively in networked contexts. In this article, we suggest the need to shift focus to build greater capacity for hybrid and network governance approaches, including a more sophisticated understanding of the conditions under which these governance forms are most effective.