Operationalizing Digital Resilience – A Systematic Literature Review on Opportunities and Challenges

Building a digital resilience (i.e., capabilities to design, deploy and use information systems (IS) to adjust to changes caused by external shocks) may prepare individuals, organizations and other institutions for future disruptions caused by global crises. To be able to monitor the emergence and development of digital resilience, one needs to be able to measure it. Currently, there is no consensus in IS literature on how to conceptualize or operationalize resilience. By conducting a systematic literature review, we identify traditional and innovative operationalization approaches. We find scale-based quantitative methods to be most prominent, followed by qualitative analyses of resilience indicators through interviews and case studies. We identify advantages and limitations of each approach and encourage authors to move beyond the boundaries of traditional methods and incorporate innovative approaches – some of which we present in this paper – to operationalize digital resilience in a tailored, context-specific way. Challenges and opportunities are discussed

Predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder among firefighters

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Humanities in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts Organisational Psychology University of the Witwatersrand March 2016Emergency first responders such as firefighters are exposed to higher levels of traumatic events through the course of their work. Accordingly, chances of such exposure resulting in negative psychological consequences are elevated. Previous research implicates the experience of trauma incident(s) and other organisational factors, among other factors, as causes of the development of consequences such as posttraumatic stress disorder and the variance thereof. However, research exploring these implications is limited. As a result, firefighters in the Emergency Medical Services were surveyed in the attempt to identify experiences of posttraumatic stress symptoms resulting from history of exposure to work-related traumatic events, perceived life threat during those incidents, general work-related stress and their perceived organisational support. The purpose of this study was to explore the predictive relationship PTSD symptoms and four predictors namely; perceived life threat, perceived organisational support, history of trauma and job-related stress, among Johannesburg firefighters. The sample was drawn from the City of Johannesburg Emergency Medical Services. A sample (N=100) of trauma-exposed firefighters was recruited for the study. Participants were recruited using a non-probability, convenience sampling strategy in which participation in the study was voluntary. The sample was made of 89 male participants and 11 female participants. All variables included in the study were measured using self-report instruments. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire to gather information pertaining to gender, age, organisational tenure and race. The following questionnaires were used to ascertain scores for the predictor variables: Survey of perceived Organisational Support, General Work Stress scale, Life Threat scale and a self-developed history of trauma scale. The Revised Impact of Event scale was used to measure the firefighters’ experience of PTSD related symptoms. Participants reported an average score of 29 on the IES-R scale indicating a stress reaction with the possibility of posttraumatic stress disorder. However, using a multiple regression analysis, this present study found that the four predictor variables explored did not have a substantial impact on the development of PTSD among firefighters. Secondary analyses were conducted to explore the individual association between each independent variable and PTSD. The results are reported. Overall, the results yielded suggest that there are other factors that exert a greater impact on the development of PTSD among firefighters. Future research among firefighters could focus on exploring other risk and protective factors associated with the development of PTSD. Alternatively, if this study is to be replicated, the researcher could employ a longitudinal, qualitative approach to explore the predictive relationship between history of trauma, perceived life threat, perceived organisational support, work-related stress and PTSD related symptoms. KEYWORDS: Post-traumatic stress disorder, perceived life threat, perceived organisational support, job-related stress, history of traum

Effective Combat Leadership: How do Individual, Social, and Organizational Factors in the U.S. Army Reserve Cultivate Effective Women\u27s Leadership in Dangerous Contexts?

This research centered on the experiences of a dozen women who served in U.S. Army Reserve leadership positions. Although they served in dangerous contexts the Army had an exclusionary policy at the time that formally excluded the women from direct combat. The impetus for the research was Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta\u27s announcement in January 2013 that the U.S. military would be eliminating the exclusionary policy. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into what individual, social, and organizational factors support women\u27s effective leadership in dangerous contexts. The research utilized narrative inquiry in order to bring forth the essence of the lived experience of the women leaders. The research had two phases: phase one interviews, phase two panel discussion. In phase one, an unexpected outcome was that 75 % of interviewees discussed issues of gender bias and toxic leadership. In the second phase a panel of four military leaders (two men and two women who were not part of the first phase) offered validation for the interpretation and findings obtained from the interviews. The analysis of the interviews and panel discussion provided recommendations for individual, social, organizational, and cultural changes needed to correct dysfunctional gender and cultural biases and support women\u27s leadership. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/, and OhioLINK ETD Center, http://etd.ohiolink.edu

Strengthening Resilience of Supply with Essential Goods through Public-Private Emergency Collaborations: Challenges and Incentives

Private actors ensure the supply of essential goods such as food, drinking water, and medicine to the population. However, crises such as natural disasters, human-caused conflicts, or pandemics can cause disruptions of private supply chains and, subsequently, supply shortages in the market. In this case, public actors need to become active and responsible for supplying the population with essential goods. Nevertheless, the ability of public actors to provide essential goods in a crisis is constrained due to limited resources and a lack of knowledge about the relevant commercial supply chains. Therefore, companies that produce, distribute, or sell essential goods can be valuable partners but must be adequately motivated to participate in crisis management. A promising form of collaboration to strengthen resilience lies in the concept of public-private emergency collaborations (PPECs), elaborated in different studies within the dissertation. The necessity of PPECs and their public acceptance depends on the attitude and preparation of the population, which is why the empirical investigation of these accompanying questions is another central part of the dissertation. Five studies published as companion articles address necessary prerequisites and approaches to the design of collaborations in crises: Study A examines the PPEC concept and puts it into a more specific framework, considering logistical requirements in a game-theoretic model. The model addresses private actors’ incentives to collaborate, such as a positive reputation or learning effects for internal processes. Both can provide a substantial —- not least financial —- advantage for the company in the long run. Study B investigates crises and PPECs from a company perspective by evaluating an empirical study with 398 responses from essential goods and logistics companies. The results show companies’ high interest in participating in PPECs. Nevertheless, the data reveals that certain conditions, such as adequate compensation or consideration of companies’ operational procedures, must be fulfilled for collaboration with public actors. Study C addresses the attitude of the population in a survey of 402 randomly selected participants and finds that the population highly values companies’ involvement in PPECs. The companies’ communication strategy and the population’s risk perception affect the attitude. Study D analyzes the stockpiling behavior of the population in two door-to-door surveys, the first with 330 participants and the second with 402. The timing of the before-and-after survey provides a special value: The study considers possible changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show low stockpiling levels and that stockpiling has only marginally increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study E examines an economic experiment with 262 participants in 13 sessions to clarify the importance of safety-stock levels for companies’ reputation in a failure-prone supply chain. The design made it possible to disentangle indirect losses due to customer churn and direct losses due to disruptions, thus quantifying firm reliability and customer loyalty. Four general recommendations for the stakeholders in crisis management, public actors, private actors, and the population, are derived: First, all stakeholders must adapt their behavior and improve current protection measures and strategies against global crises and supply chain disruptions. Second, humanitarian crisis management is a team effort involving many actors. Therefore, understanding synergies, mutual attitudes, and the incentive constellation of the actors involved is a crucial prerequisite for success. Third, crisis management also includes the right communication strategy. It is not only important to contribute but also to communicate it in a successful and convincing way. Fourth, collaborative approaches, as in PPECs, where each stakeholder brings his or her strengths into the collaboration, are beneficial for all parties involved, and increase society’s overall resilience. Consequently, this dissertation provides valuable insights into the status of humanitarian crisis management from the perspective of different stakeholders. It offers the potential to improve this field of research through collaborative approaches, as in PPECs, addressing the strengths and incentives of stakeholders accordingly

The knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are foundational to prepare counselors-in-training to provide trauma-informed counseling

Trauma is ubiquitous (Beck & Sloan, 2012; Kilpatrick et al., 2013). Approximately 89.7% of U.S. residents reported experiencing at least one post-traumatic stress level event (Kilpatrick et al., 2013) as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (5th ed.). Furthermore, trauma exposure has been recognized as a high priority public health risk (Beck & Sloan, 2012; Cook & Newman, 2014; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). Events including the war in Afghanistan, devastating natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, and the terrorist attacks of September 11th have increased societal awareness of trauma and the potentially adverse psychological and physical consequences of exposure. This heightened awareness is expected to increase the number of trauma survivors recognizing the effects of trauma, and in turn, increase the proportion of individuals seeking mental health services. Since counselors working in various mental health settings will most likely be working with survivors of trauma, it is imperative that their education include the necessary information leading to a foundation of competence (Layne et al., 2014). Although not all counselors who encounter trauma-related issues are expected to have a specialty in trauma work, there is an increased need for trauma-informed care as counselors-in-training encounter trauma-exposed populations in their pre-service training (The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014). Despite the high rates of trauma-exposure among U.S. residents, increased awareness of the effects of trauma, and the growing base of scientific literature, extensive coverage of trauma is not a core component of the standard curricula in graduate counseling programs (Courtois & Gold, 2009; Layne et al., 2014; Litz & Salters-Pedneault, 2008; Logeran et al., 2004). Furthermore, official trauma counseling competencies to inform the education and training of counselors have not yet been identified (Layne et al., 2014; Mattar, 2010; Turkus, 2013). Counselor educators are challenged with integrating the appropriate trauma training and education, while trying to meet the many program goals related to program and institutional accreditation standards. However, trauma-informed training, a holistic, person-centered approach that incorporates the biological, psychological, cultural, and social impact of trauma on an individual (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2014), requires students to possess unique knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Counselor educators must also consider the unique nature of the topic of trauma and the pedagogical approaches they use to effectively facilitate student learning. When competencies or guidelines are lacking within a certain research area, consensus opinion from experts, aids in providing a framework for effective development and practice (Powell, 2003). This study utilized the Delphi method to capture multiple perspectives and explore consensus opinions among experts regarding the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and teaching practices counselor educators deemed as foundational to prepare master’s counseling students to encounter trauma-exposed individuals. Second, by drawing from the collective opinions of counselor educators with expertise in trauma treatment, supervision, and education, the study sought to establish a baseline and move towards the development of a set of guidelines for trauma training and education specific to the field of counseling, rather than adapting or adopting trauma guidelines and competencies developed by other disciplines. The findings of the current study arose out of the belief system of counseling professionals and may serve as an initial framework to support the professional development and training of counselor educators by providing an empirically derived set of trauma education and training guidelines. Findings may in turn aid in the further refinement and implementation of trauma training and curriculum

Three Essays on Law Enforcement and Emergency Response Information Sharing and Collaboration: An Insider Perspective

This dissertation identifies what may be done to overcome barriers to information sharing among federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and emergency responders. Social, technical, and policy factors related to information sharing and collaboration in the law enforcement and emergency response communities are examined. This research improves information sharing and cooperation in this area. Policing in most societies exists in a state of dynamic tension between forces that tend to isolate it and those that tend to integrate its functioning with other social structures (Clark, 1965). Critical incidents and crimes today cross jurisdictions and involve multiple stakeholders and levels. Law enforcement and emergency response agencies at federal, tribal, state, and local levels, including private sector entities, gather information and resources but do not effectively share this with each other. Despite mandates to improve information sharing and cooperation, gaps remain perhaps because there is no clear understanding of what the barriers to information sharing are. Information sharing is examined using a multi-method, primarily qualitative, approach. A model for information sharing is presented that identifies social, technical, and policy factors as influencers. Facets of General Systems Theory, Socio-technical Theory, and Stakeholder Theory (among others) are considered in this context. Information sharing is the subject of the first work of the dissertation: a theoretical piece arguing for use of a conceptual framework consisting of social, technical, and policy factors. Social, technology, and policy factors are investigated in the second essay. That essay introduces a new transformative technology, edgeware, that allows for unprecedented connectivity among devices. Social and policy implications for crisis response are examined in light of having technological barriers to sharing resources reduced. Human and other factors relevant to information sharing and collaboration are further examined through a case study of the Central New York Interoperable Communications Consortium (CNYICC) Network, a five-county collaboration involving law enforcement, public safety, government, and non-government participants. The three included essays have a common focus vis-à-vis information sharing and collaboration in law enforcement and emergency response. The propositions here include: (P1) Information sharing is affected by social, technical, and policy factors, and this conceptualization frames the problem of information sharing in a way that it can be commonly understood by government and non-government stakeholders. The next proposition involves the role of technology, policy, and social systems in information sharing: (P2) Social and policy factors influence information sharing more than technical factors (assuming it is physically possible to connect and/or share). A third proposition investigated is: (P3) Social factors play the greatest role in the creation and sustaining of information sharing relationships. The findings provide a greater understanding of the forces that impact public safety agencies as they consider information sharing and will, it is hoped, lead to identifiable solutions to the problem from a new perspective