Operationalizing Learning from Rare Events: Framework for Middle Humanitarian Operations Managers

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the learning from rare events and the knowledge management processinvolved, which presents a significant challenge to many organizations. This is primarily attributed to the inability tointerpret these events in a systematic and “rich” manner, which this paper seeks to address. We start by summarizing therelevant literature on humanitarian operations management (HOM), outlining the evolution of the socio-technical disasterlifecycle and its relationship with humanitarian operations, using a supply chain resilience theoretical lens. We then out-line theories of organizational learning (and unlearning) from disasters and the impact on humanitarian operations. Subse-quently, we theorize the role of middle managers in humanitarian operations, which is the main focus of our paper. Themain methodology incorporates a hybrid of two techniques for root cause analysis, applied to two related case studies.The cases were specifically selected as, despite occurring twenty years apart, there are many similarities in the chain ofcausation and supporting factors, potentially suggesting that adequate learning from experience and failures is not occur-ring. This provides a novel learning experience within the HOM paradigm. Hence, the proposed approach is based on amultilevel structure that facilitates the operationalization of learning from rare events in humanitarian operations. Theresults show that we are able to provide an environment for multiple interpretations and effective learning, with emphasison middle managers within a humanitarian operations and crisis/disaster management context

Analysing the Рersonnel Сomposition of Critical Infrastructure Enterprises and Organisations the Context of the Pandemic and Hostilities

<p>This study is dedicated to the analysis of the personnel composition of critical infrastructure enterprises and organizations in the conditions of the pandemic and hostilities. The aim of this study was to analyze the staffing of critical infrastructure enterprises and organizations in the conditions of the pandemic and hostilities and to determine the factors affecting it. The works of Ukrainian and foreign scientists, as well as regulations and statistical data on this issue, have been analyzed. The article analyzes the essence of the category "personnel administration" in the dimensions of the management object – critical infrastructure objects – including current problems of the recruiting process through normative and legal acts, the personnel composition of civil servants at CI enterprises is analyzed, and a forecast of the state is provided vacancies in the total amount of employed workers in critical infrastructure facilities in 2023, recommendations for improving the motivational system during martial law in Ukraine and the consequences of the pandemic situation in the world have been considered, and factors affecting the activities of CI during martial law have been determined.</p&gt

Healthcare disaster risk reduction and management

Disasters, predicted to increase in intensity and frequency in the near future as a result of climate change, are cross‐scale in their impact, disrupting functioning across multiple levels of socio‐cultural systems in which individuals' lives are embedded. Governments all over the world need policies to plan support for community preparedness and recovery from disasters and to this end they need to understand and model disaster resilience as accurately as possible. Disasters can be either rapid or slow onset events, requiring differing responses to facilitate resilience. These might be at community and/or individual scales. The interconnectedness of resilience at individual and community scales requires multilevel preparedness, responses and mitigation strategies. A useful lens with which to investigate these interconnections for policy creation is Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory. This chapter describes research conducted in four disaster impacted regional Australian towns using Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory to assess and model disaster resilience. The four sites experienced flood, cyclone, bushfire and drought respectively, resulting in damage running into many millions of dollars. The research validated the use of Bronfenbrenner's theory for modelling disaster resilience. Results highlighted several important areas for targeted government policy to promote disaster resilience, manage risk and reduce individuals' vulnerability in diverse settings

Learning and unlearning from disasters: an analysis of the Virginia Tech, USA shooting and the Lion Air 610 Airline crash

Aim: The aim of this paper is to explore whether and how far organisations learn from failures.Methods: The paper reviews the current literature about organisational learning and theories of learning from failures, where learning here implies change of practice, and use of modelling techniques to inform recommendations to prevent repetition of similar incidents. Further, it analyses two case studies related to aspects of security and safety: the Virginia Tech Shooting in 2007 and the Lion Air 610 crash in 2018. Both case studies address the concept of learning from failures. In doing so, an analysis of the root causes and vulnerabilities through the methods of Fault Tree Analysis and Reliability Block Diagram is conducted to identify lessons to be learned.Results: Findings are intended to stimulate organisational learning and improve organisational processes to mitigate disasters from happening again.Conclusion: The value of this study is that aspects of learning and unlearning from failures have been identified for the cases used. Expectation for future studies is to extend the proposed methodology to other cases in the fields of surveillance, security and safety