ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN MANAGING EMERGENCY AND DISASTERS (3)

ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN MANAGING EMERGENCY AND DISASTERS

AbstractLeadership in disasters and emergencies helps to minimize the damages that can be inflicted by an event. It is an essential aspect of every crisis in that the lack of successful leadership competencies exacerbates the effects of an event. Leaders must possess essential skills and competencies in order to manage disasters based on the extent and scope of the disaster, environmental conditions, and type of emergency among others. The skills and competencies in leaders can be enhanced through training and education, aptitude, and their individual experience. This paper will provide an in-depth analysis of the gap in leadership of emergencies and essential themes that facilitate efficiencies in leadership, such as training and education, experience, and aptitude. The researcher will provide a conceptual framework for leadership through the analysis of available course materials while focusing on insights from scholars.

Keywords: Competencies, disasters, aptitude, experience, catastrophic disasters, leadership.

Introduction

The importance of all types of leadership in the management of disasters and emergencies has been acknowledged globally. Several studies agree that leadership in the management of emergencies and disasters can help to reduce damages caused by an event. Catastrophic events often require operational and strategic leaders who are aware of the event’s cognitive tasks and needs. In order to achieve effective disaster leadership, the leaders involved must employ continuous efforts to involve members of the society who are affected through the adoption of effective practices and communication. Leaders must ensure that they learn from previous crises and be aware that events tend to differ in terms of scope and extent. This is important since the management of catastrophes and routine emergencies often requires the adoption of wide range of leadership competencies. Crisis leadership should achieve limited destruction and loss of life and property while protecting the environment. Leadership should also reduce vulnerabilities and improve the coordination of multi-organizations in disasters. Given the stressful and challenging conditions of emergencies, leaders are expected to manage incidents successfully by ensuring that people are moved from destruction’s way.

Leaders must possess essential skills and competencies in order to deal with emergencies that could slow an area’s growth potential and hinder economic, social, and political stability. For instance, failure to manage emergencies and disasters is an essential subject due to the political effects that are often carried by the occurrence of such events. Crisis and its effects on the population continue to grow, which increases consequential suffering and fears of the populations. Leadership is the practice whereby an individual uses intended influence over another while offering formation, which improves contact and interaction between groups. In other words, it is the method of inspiring and motivating other people to understand and decide how things should be done in order to achieve common objectives. In crisis management, leadership comprises the inspiration that occurs in the context of a group and covers the accomplishments of targets. A leader in disaster management should strategize, organize, monitor, and control communication while acknowledging accountability in a bid to achieve both political and societal objectives. A crisis refers to an unexpected situation that can be categorized as urgency, intimidation, and calamity.

What are the most effective ways of developing leadership skills and competencies that are necessary to manage catastrophic events and disasters?

Competency is a quality of leadership that is needed to manage catastrophic disasters effectively. Training, experience, and competency building can enable leaders to make decisions that enhance their ability to manage catastrophic disasters.

Background

Zamisa and Sybert explain that leaders must possess essential skills since the crisis presents an array of challenges that deal with planning, and repairing after a disaster has occurred. However, studies show that the process of controlling and facing routine emergencies requires an array of characteristics and leadership talents – leaders should possess necessary competencies to overcome these challenges. This is important since political conflicts, industrial accidents, and catastrophes such as hurricanes and tornadoes often result in wastage of resources, which can push a country into collapse. Studies by Lin et al. show that it is difficult to separate leadership and disaster in that they are intricately interconnected. The leader must react to issues and intimidation caused by crises by demonstrating an ability to restore things to their original status before the crisis occurred. Although damaging results could be introduced during the crises, it is important for leaders to accept the fact that emergencies introduce an occasion where a leader has the possibility to improve organizational strategies and structures.

Disasters, both natural and manmade, such as volcanic eruptions, landslides, earthquakes, industrial accidents and tsunamis often threaten the balance of life. Industrial accidents and errors in technologies can cause extreme effects on the earth; disasters tend to threaten the functioning and continuity of operations in a particular region. They hamper development and the results that have been achieved, which necessitates the need to combat and mitigate the state of emergency. This also facilitates the rehabilitation of the destruction made by promoting reliable leadership. Leaders should ensure the implementation of control techniques, which include effective methods for deploying human activities and the facilities that ensure efficient handling of resources. Leaders in disaster management should have the ability to restore the pre-disaster condition and ensure the safety and comfort of traumatized individuals. Victims should be moved to safe and peaceful areas when disasters occur. This is important since most sufferers often feel comfortable and safe when government officials and leaders are involved due to their efficiency in disaster management.

Atanga, explains that leaders must learn from previous experiences and implement organizational adjustments to end the crisis. Leaders must also ensure that their entities are well prepared to meet the needs of future challenges in disasters and emergencies. There is a need for the adoption of a holistic approach to disaster management whereby leaders engage members of the public in a bid to get the contribution of the society in crisis management. According to Atanga, the implementation of a collective thought process (whereby the society is involved) while building on internal and external relations enables leaders to make informed decisions that can benefit the victims and their families.

Background Subsection; Leadership

Following the concept that the perceptions and consequential actions of a leader are important, Whitson delves to understand whether different leadership styles are necessary during the planning and management of disasters. According to the author, persuasive leadership, as opposed to a directive, is an essential style of leadership in emergencies and disasters. However, regardless of the adopted style, leaders must undertake the task operations through organizing, planning, provision of training, and education, and cultivating vigilance while protecting their preparedness.

Studies show that the mass media often portray specific charismatic leaders as the most effective in handling resources, wild authority, and information that is related to disasters and management. In the past, leaders such as George W. Bush, Rudy Giuliani, and Michael Brown have been idealized for disastrous events such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. However, although leaders are essential in such situation, it is not enough to make hasten judgments on their efficiency in handling the events. It is essential to understand how leadership often works in the management of issues, variables, and considerations that affect the efficiency of leaders.

Various dimensions of leadership should be built such as networking abilities, communication, decision making, team building, learning and planning to enhance their skills and competencies. This is essential since major catastrophic events such as 9/11, 2011 tornado outbreaks, and Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina often require the competency and efficiency of leaders and involved government actors. Efficient response to disaster is the result of the effort of leaders in corporate networks, which could be private, public, or non-profit organizations.

Background Subsection; Gap in LeadershipEvery disaster management operation requires an array of leadership competencies. This is important since the main goal of emergency management is to design effective policies and implement programs that reduce vulnerabilities while limiting the loss of property and life. Disaster management entails a network of organizations from different fields which could be public or private organizations among other non-profit organizations. Leaders must make use of their relationships and network to develop essential goals and strategies. However, while leadership skills and competencies are important in leadership, communication is the most critical aspect of disaster management. Leaders must show their willingness to restore communication systems to maintain initial communication status. Leaders must also be flexible in their process of decision making and must exemplify a degree of high coordination amongst other respondents to enhance the management of the disaster.

Appropriate leadership in the management of emergencies and disasters can help to reduce damages caused by an event by ensuring proper coordinations and execution of applicable processes. Leaders must possess specific skills and abilities to be able to manage particular events and catastrophes that are based on the scope, environmental conditions, and the organizations they lead. Management of significant catastrophes and routine emergencies often require various management and leadership competencies. Emergency management should come up with a succinct policy and ensure the implementation of programs that facilitate the protection of the environment, reduction of vulnerability, and enhanced multi-organizational coordination in disasters. It is the responsibility of the leader to respond to various uncertainties and threats that stem from a crisis. When crises occur, the affected population tends to look up to the leaders for guidance, safety, and direction. However, leaders have shown high degrees of inefficiency in handling disasters due to their inability to address gaps that occur in disaster management. Failure to include community members in the process of disaster management is a significant gap that prevents leaders from providing efficient leadership. According to Nonhlanhla and Sybert, linguistic barriers often affect the ability of the leader to prepare and respond to the disaster due to lack of understandable materials that can be translated easily during disasters.For example, some symbols could have different meanings in varied communities. Disasters can occur in places that the leaders are not culturally competent or aware. The inability to translate signage and cultural competence of the leaders and service providers can limit the efficiency of the provided services. Similarly, racial profiling, discrimination, and lack of transportation often facilitate slow response to emergencies. When provided with the opportunity, leaders must ensure that they handle structural inequities and social structures that could affect their efficiency in service provision. However, most of the modern crises are caused by advancements in technology, globalization, information, and communication technology, and deregulation. Leaders should thus aim to understand the needs and requirements of the disaster in order to meet the rapidly changing forms of crises.

Background subsection: Leadership Skills and Competencies

Given the stressful and challenging conditions of emergencies, leaders lack the efficient skills and competencies needed to manage incidents successfully to get the public out of harm’s way. Leaders who lack the necessary skills and competencies often fail to lead the activities that engage individuals on varying levels of education, literacy, and education. According to Zamisa, Nonhlanhla, and Sybert Mutereko, leaders must ensure that they assist with the interpretation and translation of the disasters while working with the leaders to create a comprehensive list of resources, which should be made available to the residents. Lack of training of emergency manasgers can restrain leaders from utilizing the established meetings with the affected residents. As a result, the managers would fail to present essential information that could facilitate better preparedness and prevention of undesired occurences during instances of disasters in future. Atanga and Whitson agree that the leaders in charge should listen to the concerns of other community members and ensure that they clarify any misconceptions while gathering essential information which can be utilized to facilitate better management of disasters. Community leaders should be equipped with essential skills and competencies such as communication, listening, participation, empathy, and care in order to act as liaisons between the residents and the officials. They should voice the concerns of community members and act as instrumental in the identification of gaps in disaster management to ensure that the needs are well highlighted. However, despite their inadequacies in terms of skills and competencies, leaders often face challenges in the provision of services due to the physical makeup of the communities.

ThemesThere is an increasing need for leaders in disaster management to possess essential leadership skills and competencies. These skills and competencies can be enhanced through the application of pertinent themes such as leadership training, education, competency building, networking, innovation, experience, change management, and career management. Leadership themes are crucial in that they enable an individual to understand the importance of relational intelligence in getting the work done in the management of disasters. The themes are based on the need to maximize the potential of leaders in disaster management. Leadership themes are also pertinent in that they enable the people concerned to create a positive culture in that they tend to understand the value of crafting an authentic and intentional culture in their practices. The use implementation of leadership themes such as aptitude and education are founded on policies and basis of future opportunities and the need to build and enduring society. For these reasons, the researcher will analyze leadership themes that are considered pertinent in the management of disasters and emergencies.

Theme 1: (Training and Education)

Theme 1: Evidence

This theme tests the impact of training and education on the ability of leaders to manage catastrophic disasters. The World Health Organization,s CollaboratingCenter for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) claims that the number of disasters over the past century. The advancement of technology has increased the importance of leaders to acquire essential knowledge and education in the realm of disasters in order to prevent the occurrence and effects of disasters. For example, leaders across the globe should aquire sufficient knowledge and skills to overcome technological challenges and adequately handle disasters. Education on disasters helps to provide essential knowledge amongst leaders in order to take appropriate action to reduce resident’s vulnerability to disasters. The leaders often pass the information to the affected residents who learn the best way to protect themselves and others. Training on disaster management should enable the leaders to build capacity and gain essential skills that enhance their ability to prepare and respond to the events during and after the disasters. Consequently, trained emergency managers would be valuable assets to to every organization across the globe. Training and education should encourage the exchange of knowledge and experience, as well as facilitate efficient creation of networks amongst the leaders and disaster managers. Education and training have been proven to enhance the coordination of response to disasters, as well as the quality and availability of essential management tools.

Theme 1: Discussion

Hošková-Mayerová, in the article Education and Training in Crisis Management, explains that quality education and training is an indispensable requirement for all types of human activities. According to the author, there is no aspect of human activity that can function effectively without the provision of sophisticated education. This is because; education often determines the quality of work that is provided by leaders and workers in a particular area. The author explains that training and educating public administration officials is essential in that it provides adequate conditions for effective response to emergencies, among other disasters. Leaders can acquire successful solutions through the acquisition of professional knowledge and skills and through efficient mastering of technological and technical readiness that is needed to manage critical crises. The provision of education can also enable them to create and update effective competencies in the creation of legislation that is interlinked with the cooperation of pertinent stakeholders in the crises. The author, Hošková-Mayerová, has made a successful attempt in the article to highlight the effect of inconsistent education in crisis management in the education systems of Czech Republic. The article illustrates the importance of training and education for the management of disasters through efficient preparation of specialists and armed forces. According to the author, disaster planning and management should be given attention especially in areas that suffer from limited resources. Effective measures must be taken to enhance the effectiveness of leaders at varying phases of the disaster management cycle.

Conversely, Aluoch uses the article, Essential Leadership Skills Needed: To Respond Effectively in the aftermath of the Man-Made Disaster to explore an array of challenges that leaders often encounter in a bid to enhance their disaster response. This article explains that leaders must take charge of situations in order to mitigate the adverse effects of disaster while ensuring that they portray their leadership competencies and experiences in the midst of chaos and anxiety. This peer-reviewed article explains that leaders should be vision-oriented, and must provide guidance to the public while reducing risks through the path of normalcy and recovery. According to Earnest, disaster management is an intricate process that requires a leader to possess essential leadership skills and competencies. This is essential due to the fact that leadership functions are often executed under stressful conditions during which the leader lacks enough time to think and make consultations. Inadequate information could also restrict the leader from providing necessary information in the execution of pertinent practices. When responding to emergencies, leaders must act in a competent manner since they are often judged by their actions. They should take charge of the situation by mitigating the disaster’s effects and ensuring that they respond effectively in the aftermath of the disaster.

The study adopted a descriptive method of review from the onset, which enabled the researchers to identify that essential leadership skills include decisiveness, communication, learning, accountability, and networking. The researcher indicates that it is essential for leaders to possess essential leadership skills to enhance their efficiency in disaster management. This is important since the success of disaster response is associated with leaders having essential skills and putting them into the right practice whenever they are required. However, dynamics of manmade disasters tend to shift, which creates the need for leaders to enhance their leadership skills and competencies. The author explains that organizational cultures should also be taken into consideration since they affect the quality and performance of leaders in response to disasters.

Earnest provides an alternative perspective to the theme topic of The role of Leadership in Managing Emergencies and Disasters in that the source does not address the provided theme of training and education. However, it focuses on essential leadership skills, which makes it serve as a perfect alternative source since education alone without related skills could not enable leaders to effectively and efficiently manage disasters.

The article, Education and Training in Crisis Management by Hošková-Mayerová, provides a supportive perspective on the topic of The Role of Leadership in Managing Emergencies and Disasters. It supports the theme of education and training in leadership to enhance their ability to manage emergencies and disasters. According to the author, Hošková-Mayerová, leaders must undergo leadership and training to enhance their skills and competencies to manage disasters and emergencies effectively. The perspective provided by this article is stronger than that of the alternative perspective in that it meets the study’s theme and objective of training and education. On the other hand, the alternative review concentrates on leadership challenges and skills rather than education and training to enhance leadership skills and competencies. Nonetheless, conctributions by each author are priceless in encouraging effective leadership during emergency situations.

Theme 2: (Experience)Theme 2: Evidence

Leadership experience refers to an individual’s exposure to lead people in varying settings encompassing emergency situations. Research shows significant field experience, improved skills and competnecies promote better management of disasters. Experience is an essential factor in leadership that every disaster management company should identify when recruiting new leaders. For newcomers, the training regimen should entail a wide array of simulations, mock drills, and hands-on training in order to improve competency level of the leader.

Theme 2: Discussion

The importance of experience and education in the preparedness and management of disasters cannot be ignored. Hoffmann and Muttarak, in the article, Learn from the past, prepare for the future: Impacts of education and experience on disaster preparedness in the Philippines and Thailand explain that education and strengthening of resilience in leaders is an essential factor for effective management of disasters. According to the author, leaders with experience and sufficient education tend to guide the affected individuals through the right path of managing an event. When emergencies happen, community members often respond first to help their families and community members before the arrival of authority or assigned leaders. Past experiences enable emerging leaders to make the recommendation to the residents to prepare themselves early for at least 72 hours before a disaster. Leaders believe that their education and preparedness is essential in facilitating efficient and effective management of disasters. Leaders with past experiences enable individuals to be informed by educating them about essential protective measures that should be taken before, during and after the emergency. Leaders also enable the community to prepare and stay informed while facilitating the preparation of disaster kits and evacuation plans. A leader with experience is also likely to win trust and support from local communities.

According to Hoffmann et al., preparing for disasters or having an evacuation plan can help to minimize losses and consequential damages significantly. However, the article observes that the level of disaster preparedness is low even in areas that are known to be disaster-prone as a result of various fators that entail ineffective leadership skills and competencies. Formal education and leader experience increase the propensity of managing disasters when they occur. Education enhances disaster preparedness by instilling essential knowledge and information about such aspects as planning and coordinating proceeses. On the other hand, leader experience improves the management of disasters during repeated incidences because leaders would have gained vital skills regarding what transpire in real-life situations during instances of disasters. Moreover, education amongst leaders increases disaster preparedness even in absence of related experience. Experienced leaders who get essential education often improve their abstract reasoning as well as their anticipation skills with regard to their management competencies. Leaders with prior information help communities to undertake preventive measures without the need to experience harmful events. After an event has occurred, prior experience facilitates effective management of the disaster in terms of evacuation, treatment, provision of education, shelter, food, and food among other basic needs. Past experiences affect people’s beliefs on how they should react to emergencies.

The occurrence of disasters can enhance the preparedness of the community and the leader’s approach to the event. Becker et al. explain that experience of disaster influences individual preparedness with regards to their thinking and talking, development of beliefs, influencing feelings and emotions, community interactions. Past experiences enable the community to understand the various consequences of disasters which impact of the leader’s ability to react to the disaster.

The past experiences of disasters affect how individuals prepare and respond to the hazards. Being involved in a disaster directly or indirectly triggers an array of thoughts and acts an essential catalyst for conversation about preparedness and hazard. According to Becker et al., talking and thinking that is linked to experiences to a particular disaster is more effective if it enables people to personalize their individual preparedness needs and experiences. Discussions that are related to the hazards can be stimulated by vicarious or second-hand experiences. People often handle earthquakes differently depending on the conversations that get prompted by the event, such as preparedness. The conversations could differ depending on certain aspects tha entail experiences and education levels of the interested parties.

Experiences also tend to improve awareness and knowledge amongst leaders who have been exposed to disasters and emergencies. Consequently, experienced leaders would probably generate more informed policies and procedures for handling disasters in futre. Nonetheless, experienced leaders should endeavor to advance their education to remain more competent to handle emergencies. According to the Becker et al., the people in charge such as leaders must ensure that they take advantage of individual awareness and knowledge on disasters to improve their approach of managing disasters. In the same manner, people with previous experiences and sufficient education often understand the consequences of disasters differently from those who lack experiences. Past experiences of disasters tend to make future events appear to be more real. As a result, the outcomes of experiences tend to support the ability of individuals to personalize their knowledge and awareness such that they could plan and prepare for future disasters with more levels of accuracy. The causes and implications that result from the events play a crucial role in the development of risk beliefs and needs of preparedness. Disasters give leaders and individuals the realization that disasters happen and reveal their impact which necessitates the need to understand preparedness strategies to counter the disaster impact.

The Becker et al. explain that life experiences enable people and community leaders to understand the consequences of an adverse event in a generic way. The influence of leaders enables individuals to understand the best way of getting prepared for advance disasters, which lessens the consequential impact. For instance, leaders can provide a community with the importance of having a first aid kit, evacuation room, or first aid training can reduce the consequential stress and impact associated with the disasters. The author also explains that past experiences improve community interaction, facilitates the development of disaster responsiveness skills, and improves the emotions that are associated with disasters.

The author’s article provides an alternative perspective on the topic of The role of leadership in Managing Disasters and Emergencies. The article has not fulfilled the topic’s theme of leader experiences but instead has explained the effect of past experiences on the community response and preparedness to future events

The provided article will support the theme of experiences in leadership, unlike the alternative that touches on the role of IT in leadership. The article by Hoffmann and Muttarak named Learn from the past, prepare for the future: Impacts of education and experience on disaster preparedness in the Philippines and Thailand supports the presented theme of experience in leadership. This article offers an essential supportive perspective in that it provides a relation to how experience in leaders and the community at large affects the management of disasters. According to the article, leaders with past experiences have improved leadership skills and competencies and tend to show more efficiency in managing evacuation practices, among others. On the other hand, Becker in the article The role of prior experience in informing and motivating earthquake preparedness addresses the importance of past experiences on individual approaches to disasters. This article focuses on the influence of experience in the community’s approach to disaster preparedness rather than influence on the leader’s ability to manage disasters and emergencies. Accordingly, some other aspects including aptitude could contribute significantly in attainment of appropriate leadership during disaster management.

Theme 3: AptitudeTheme 3: Evidence

Leaders must possess the ability to execute operations that duringh disasters while learning new skills and improving existing skills. Although aptitude test contribute significantly in management of disasters, other aspects including trustworthiness, effective leadership skills and communication should be employed for better performance. Leaders can enhance their ability to manage emergencies and disasters by ensuring that they maintain their composure. A leader must act with reason and tact by ensuring that the decisions are based on thoughtful consideration of the catastrophic situation and circumstances. While emotional decisions can seem as good decisions, leaders must ensure that they consider the consequences of the decisions made during the management process of the events. Therefore, leaders should exhibit appropriate aptitude to accomplish such processes.

Studies show that good leaders must base their management decisions on sound reasoning, principles, and corporate values even during disaster management. Leaders in disaster management could improve their aptitude and propensity by remaining open to alternative ideas.A good leader would analyze new ideas, determine suitab