Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructure Systems: The Role of Coordination, Stakeholder Participation, and Training in Post-Disaster Reconstruction

This early concept research outlines the need to better understand reconstruction processes in post-disaster environments that can create resilient and sustainable infrastructure systems and proposes methodology aimed at addressing gaps in theory and practice. The paper first introduces the rationale for studying project outcomes of sustainability and resilience and proposes a new method to conceptualize resilience through a network perspective. Next, the paper reviews literature on three factors – coordination, stakeholder participation, and training – each of which is posited to influence these project outcomes. After research questions are identified, the paper proposes research methodology that will study coordination, participation, and training across phases of infrastructure reconstruction from a network perspective in the Central Visayas region in the Philippines. In addition to analyzing the influence of each of these factors individually on the project outcomes, fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is proposed as a novel means of capturing snapshots of project phases and analyzing pathways that navigate the complexity of post-disaster reconstruction

Building Coordination Capacity: Post-Disaster Organizational Twitter Networks

Effective coordination is essential for post-disaster reconstruction. Presently, however, there are relatively few tools to help organizations manage coordination and communication of post-disaster construction activities. Given the recent increase in use of social media platforms, we examine the use of Twitter following Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the Philippines. A network of organizations in the infrastructure sector is created to capture the coordination structure, as depicted through social media, analyze organizational messaging and determine key actors. A content analysis of tweets further examined emergent themes in the distribution of information through Twitter. This network perspective lends insight into future applications of how organizations can leverage social media as a means of sustained coordination for long-term, on the ground efforts extending past initial emergency relief phases

Post-Disaster Reconstruction Training Effectiveness

Training in a post-disaster environment offers an opportunity to build resilience within high-risk communities. Education research amasses a field of study that is large in both depth and breath, but there is a considerable lack of focus in post-disaster contexts, specifically the effectiveness of post-disaster training programs. Addressing this gap meant exploring recovery efforts in the Philippine region of Eastern Samar following Super Typhoon Haiyan, regarded as the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded at landfall. The purpose of this research first explores expanding education theories into the post-disaster context and second, examines the practical implementation of training programs in the wake of the 2013 typhoon. A mixed methods approach combined qualitative data derived from accounts of community members and aid organizations with quantitative data that delineated community members learning style preferences in respect to experiential learning theory (ELT). Findings show that aid organizations administered training largely in lecture format, aligning with the reflective observation mode of ELT, but lacked diversity in formats represented in other poles of ELT. Moreover, analysis revealed that community members showed a preference toward divergent learning styles. Since aid organizations provided predominantly lecture based training, this partially aligned with community learning preferences, but fell short in cultivating other forms of knowledge acquisition. Based on this research, the application of existing learning theories will improve construction training as it applies to a post-disaster environment.National Science Foundatio

Characterizing Post-Disaster Reconstruction Training Methods and Learning Styles

Large disasters damage or destroy infrastructure that is then reconstructed through programmes that train community members in construction techniques that reduce future risks. Despite the number of post-disaster reconstruction programmes implemented, there is a dearth of research on education and training in post-disaster contexts. To address this gap, we applied a mixed methods approach based upon experiential learning theory (ELT) to three shelter programmes administered in Eastern Samar, Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan. First, we characterize post-disaster training programmes based on learning modes and then, compared this to the learning styles of community members. To assess learning modes of training programmes, we analysed qualitative data from interview accounts of community members and aid organizations; and, to delineate community member’s learning style preferences, we analysed quantitative data from survey questionnaires. Findings show that aid organizations administered training largely in lecture format, aligning with the reflective observation mode of ELT, but lacked diversity in formats represented in other poles of ELT. Moreover, analysis revealed that community members tended to grasp new information in accordance with the concrete experimentation mode, then preferred transforming newly acquired knowledge via the reflective observation mode. The lecture-based training predominately administered by aid organizations partially aligned with community learning preferences, but fell short in cultivating other forms of knowledge acquisition known to enhance long-term learning.National Science Foundatio

Infrastructure Hazard Resilience Trends: An Analysis of 25 Years of Research

Hazard research has made significant strides over the last several decades, answering critical questions surrounding vulnerability and recovery. Recently, resilience has come to the forefront of scholarly debates and practitioner strategies, yet there remain challenges implementing resilience in practice, the result of a complex web of research that spread across numerous fields of study. As a result, there is a need to analyze and reflect on the current state of resilience literature. We reviewed 241 journal articles from the Web of Science and Engineering Village databases from 1990 to 2015 to analyze research trends in geographic location of studies, methods employed, units of analysis, and resilience dimensions studied, as well as correlations between each of these categories. The majority of the studies analyzed were conducted in North America, used quantitative methods, focused on infrastructure and community units of analysis, and studied governance, infrastructure, and economic dimensions of resilience. This analysis points to the need to: (1) conduct studies in developing country contexts, where resilience is particularly important; (2) employ mixed-methods for additional depth to quantitative studies; (3) connect units of analysis, such as infrastructure and community; and (4) expand on the measurement and study of environmental and social dimensions of resilience.National Science Foundatio

The Influence of National Culture on Effectiveness of Safety Trainings During Postdisaster Reconstruction

Non-English speaking workers constitute a disproportionately high number of workers involved in postdisaster reconstruction. Additionally, the rate of fatality among these workers is higher than the industry average. Research shows this population is more prone to unsafe behaviors in the working environment, conceivably because many of these workers are sent into the field prior to any formalized training. Recent studies show that the native culture of construction workers can impact risk-taking behavior. While numerous researchers have attempted to develop training materials for Hispanic workers, the number of studies that consider the impact of native culture on safety behavior is minimal. To answer this emerging knowledge gap, this paper develops a framework that will help to discern the influence of native culture, as well as other socioeconomic characteristics, on the effectiveness of safety trainings for non-English speaking workers. The formulation of this framework will pave the way for an enhanced understanding of the impact native culture plays on unsafe behaviors within a diverse workforce. Foreseeably, this understanding will play a significant role in developing culturally sensitive training materials in the future

Discrepancies between post-disaster relocation policy and implementation in the Philippines

It is common for recovery policies to be crafted following disasters, such as the relocation of exposed populations, but rare for policy intent to be fully realized. While critiques center on failed outcomes, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding implementation, which encompasses the intermediary processes between policy formation and outcomes. Without an understanding of implementation, it is difficult to identify actionable opportunities for change. Using document-based classic content analysis, narrative analysis, and process mapping, this study systematically compared policy and implementation to identify discrepancies unfolding throughout typhoon-induced relocation in the Philippines. Two types of discrepancies emerged: unfulfilled, where they were covered in policy but not present in implementation, or added, where they were un- or under-addressed in policy but added by necessity during implementation. Analysis revealed that community services and infrastructure were added discrepancies, while development-oriented objectives were unfulfilled. Second, one well-documented relocation discrepancy, water supply, was analyzed in-depth using implementation analysis, revealing delayed and, at-times, disorganized project management was driven by a lack of ownership and goal clarity. Shifting strategies throughout implementation indicate a need to further investigate the implementation of risk reduction and resilience-oriented policies in post-disaster contexts.</p

The Influence of National Culture on Effectiveness of Safety Trainings During Postdisaster Reconstruction

Non-English speaking workers constitute a disproportionately high number of workers involved in postdisaster reconstruction. Additionally, the rate of fatality among these workers is higher than the industry average. Research shows this population is more prone to unsafe behaviors in the working environment, conceivably because many of these workers are sent into the field prior to any formalized training. Recent studies show that the native culture of construction workers can impact risk-taking behavior. While numerous researchers have attempted to develop training materials for Hispanic workers, the number of studies that consider the impact of native culture on safety behavior is minimal. To answer this emerging knowledge gap, this paper develops a framework that will help to discern the influence of native culture, as well as other socioeconomic characteristics, on the effectiveness of safety trainings for non-English speaking workers. The formulation of this framework will pave the way for an enhanced understanding of the impact native culture plays on unsafe behaviors within a diverse workforce. Foreseeably, this understanding will play a significant role in developing culturally sensitive training materials in the future

Institutional Constraints Influencing Relocation Decision Making and Implementation

In the aftermath of a disaster there is often a call for mass relocation of exposed populations. The surrounding institutional context, comprised of normative and cultural-cognitive elements in addition to regulations, guides decisions made by relocation organizations. The theory of organizational institutionalism provides a window into beliefs, social norms, and coercive measures, but has not yet been employed to study relocation decision making. We investigated relocation in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 to illustrate how regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive &lsquo;pillars&rsquo; of institutions affected the who, what, where, when, why, and how of relocation decisions. Results from the analysis of interviews, meeting observations, and documentation highlight areas of both discord and harmony between institional pillars. Regulative and cultural-cognitive institutional influences often counter each other and can pull implementing organizations in opposite directions, particularly across the national-local divide. For example, in considering who drove implementation decisions, regulatory mandates determined which organizations originally participated but cultural-cognitive views eventually amplified organizational identities and diversified participation. The regulative and cultural-cognitive pillar were only unified in their influence on where to best place relocation development. Normative influences strongly impacted the how of implementation by defining proper behavior and communication both in and between inter-organizational meetings. However, how is increasingly pressured by cultural-cognitive appeals for improved implementation coordination. An emerging trend for future analysis is the need to study how post-disaster relocation motivates institutional change.</p

The importance of expertise visibility across organizational boundaries for individual performance

The importance of knowledge sharing within engineering organizations is well acknowledged within the literature. A critical step to organizational knowledge sharing involves expertise visibility, or knowing who knows what, as employees must first identify who has the knowledge needed for project or organizational tasks before engaging in knowledge exchange. Thus, expertise visibility is theorized to improve group and organizational performance; however, there is a dearth of literature that has analyzed the importance of expertise visibility on employee performance. Due to the importance of employee performance for group and organizational performance, this research analyzed the relationship between expertise visibility and employee performance. Specifically, we analyzed responses to survey questionnaires to compare visibility across organizational boundaries with employee performance using social network analysis and linear regression analysis. Results showed that being visible across technical expertise, office, and hierarchy boundaries were associated with increased employee performance. Engineering organizations can use these results to encourage and incentivize employees to become more visible outside of their immediate groups in order to increase their performance. The paper contributes to theory of transactive memory by showing the importance of expertise visibility for performance at the individual level.</p