PAN, Shan Chi Gary

Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University

Singapore Management UniversityInstitutional Knowledge at Singapore Management UniversityKnowledge@SMU Office of Research2-2012The central role of information systems inmanaging crisesKnowledge@SMUFollow this and additional works at: http://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/ksmuPart of the Technology and Innovation CommonsThis Journal Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Office of Research at Institutional Knowledge at Singapore ManagementUniversity. It has been accepted for inclusion in Knowledge@SMU by an authorized administrator of Institutional Knowledge at SingaporeManagement University. For more information, please email libIR@smu.edu.sg.CitationKnowledge@SMU. The central role of information systems in managing crises. (2012). Knowledge@SMU.Available at: http://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/ksmu/4007/21/12 The central role of information systems in managing crises - Knowledge@SMU1/3knowledge.smu.edu.sg/article.cfm?articleid=1411   (http://knowledge.smu.edu.sg)The central role of information systems in managing crisesPublished: February 16, 2012 in Knowledge@SMU Crisis management research recognises the importance of timely information in coordinating a suitable and rapid crisisresponse. However, the transmission of information would depend on the information systems assets available, howthey work with other resources and how they facilitate coordination – areas that have not received much scholarlyattention.In 'The Role of IT in Crisis Response: Lessons from the SARS and Asian Tsunami Disasters', Dorothy E. Leidner(http://business.baylor.edu/Dorothy_Leidner/) (Baylor University), Gary Pan(http://www.accountancy.smu.edu.sg/faculty/accounting/garypan.asp) (Singapore Management University), andShan L. Pan (http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~pansl/) (National University of Singapore) studied the mechanismsthrough which information systems aids crisis response and the preconditions for its effective use. The paper waspublished in the 18th edition of the Journal of Strategic Information Systems.As societal and economic crises typically involve cooperation and coordination between several public and privateorganisations, "information collecting, synthesising, interpreting, and communicating across the multiple organisationsbecomes a central challenge," the researchers wrote. A failure to address these challenges will lead to costly delaysin resolving the crises at hand.Decision makers also require information before they can choose which actions to take. To speed up their responses,communication channels may be reduced, but this risks the passing over of potentially critical data. Effective crisisresponse thus requires weighing between the need to act and the need to collect and process information.To examine these interactions along the information systems value chain, the authors adopted a resource-basedview (RBV). This theoretical lens, they argued, would offer a better understanding of those critical responsecharacteristics, and enable a deeper appreciation of information systems' roles within the larger ecosystem ofcomplementary resources.While the theory has traditionally been applied with competitive, as opposed to cooperative studies, the authorsexplained that RBV would be relevant to their research because it is – as the theory was intended – an organisation-level study of resources and capabilities in driving performance."By extending RBV to a cooperative environment, we remain true to the implicit goal of understanding performance,but rather than understanding why one firm outperforms others, we are interested in how a constellation of firmscooperating may perform effectively," they wrote.Having laid down their research goals – (1) to understand which information systems resources are most valuable incrisis response situations, (2) how they may be bundled with other resources for synergy, and (3) how suchresources are coordinated across organisations – the authors zeroed in on two past major incidences for answers.The first incidence was 2003's outbreak of the highly infectious Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that ledto national health crisis, and the second, 2004's Asian Tsunami, where Singapore played a regional relief-coordination role.A hybrid research method that included qualitative case studies and semi-structured interviews with the 23 relevantmembers and executives was employed. Media coverage of the events served as secondary data, along with officialpress releases, internal documents and discussion notes.Case 1: Managing a health crisisWhen SARS broke out in March 2003, Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) set up a nine-member high-levelministerial task force. Contact tracing of SARS patients was initiated to identify the places a patient had visited soas to subsequently locate people who had also visited the same places. This effort required the involvement of otherministries, and so several statutory boards were roped in.MOH had then requested that the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), a statutory board underSingapore's Ministry of Defence, set up an operations centre for contact tracing. DSTA, with its prior experiences innational IT projects, proceeded to build a centre with capabilities for large-scale contact tracing and datamanagement.7/21/12 The central role of information systems in managing crises - Knowledge@SMU2/3knowledge.smu.edu.sg/article.cfm?articleid=1411IT applications were developed to keep track of relevant healthcare professionals, patients, their contacts, and atthe same time, plot linkages between each person. DSTA had also developed a Case Management System (CMS) tofacilitate data exchanges across government agencies. At airports, prototype infrared fever screening systems(modelled after military-grade thermal imagers) were installed and those suspected of carrying the disease wouldreceive on-site medical attention.After the crisis had bowed out, Singapore was praised for its efficiency in "managing the spread of SARS andminimising the damage". However, the authors noted that there was some unhappiness over the "hyper-response"and "overkill" approach to the crisis. There were also privacy concerns over the use of scanners and sharing ofpatient data.Case 2: Coordinating reliefFollowing the Asian Tsunami disaster on Boxing Day 2004, DSTA was tasked to set up the Singapore RegionalCoordination Centre’s (SRCC) IT infrastructure. It was during this time that they rolled out the web-based CrisisCase Management System (CCMS) – an application that could manage the distribution of aid supplies, trackmanpower deployment and movement, and at the same time, facilitate communication.By January 2005, about 20 non-governmental organisations (NGO) had started their operations at the SRCC. TheSingapore Armed Forces (SAF) provided supporting services to the SRCC which included coordinating publicdonations, updating spreadsheets, packing and shipping of aid supplies, as well as performing matches between aiddemand and supply.The SAF had, additionally, set up other operations centres to coordinate additional relief activities, such as theupdating of tsunami information and aid delivery schedules. This involved frequent communications between theSingapore-based officers and on-site workers from the Thai and Indonesian military.It was inevitable that kinks would show up within complex coordination initiatives as such. Despite frequentinformation updates from the SRCC, the authors revealed that distribution problems and overcrowding had, at onepoint, caused tons of emergency medical and food supplies to be stuck at the airport.There were also issues with the oversupply of some relief items and the undersupply of others. An informantcommented, “While we could take heart that there was a strong response to the tremendous humanitarian needs,there was a need for a more systematic, streamlined and efficient approach to private sector participation inhumanitarian work. Perhaps an infrastructure for private sector for partnership could be created and prepared for thenext crisis.”Technology uses and usersBy most accounts, it was agreed that a "strong and flexible" IT infrastructure would be vital in the management ofcrises. They are especially useful "where disparate organisations need to coordinate information," the authorsobserved from both case studies.Relating their findings to the RBV, the authors noted that while the "mobile and imitable" skills of information systemsexperts may be considered to be of lower value within competitive environments, they were "essential" in thecooperative context of crises as these very skills bolstered speed and agility.Next, they pointed out that the value of information systems resources increases as assets and capabilities are,synergistically, bundled together. As an example, they suggested that professional skills, when applied with anunderstanding of the context and culture, present a far greater advantage to management. Indeed, the extensivenetwork of relationships at DSTA had facilitated the rapid development and implementation of the crisis informationsystem in both cases.The value of collaborative networks aside, it is worth noting too, the relationship between IT capabilities andleadership: "Having leadership that was willing and able to recognise the signals early and see the big picture,enabled the IT staff to begin development of crisis response systems early in the crisis, which facilitated the processof resolute informing, gaining stakeholder commitment, and agile mobilising," the authors explained.The longer decision makers searched for the most optimal solution, the larger the risk that events might spiralbeyond control. Failure to recognise the signs could lead to an exacerbation of the crisis. A command structurelinking assets and capabilities with adequate response is thus crucial to success.Both IT and organisational structures should complement each other, they said. In both crises, the top-downcentralised command and control enhanced the mobilisation of people and technology, improving the "overallefficiency and interoperability of deployment and distribution-related activities".Looking ahead, the framework of resource deployment during crisis response as suggested by the central role of ISresources might serve as a “means to evaluate crisis preparedness in organisations and as a springboard to furtherresearch into intra as well as inter-crisis learning,” the authors concluded.7/21/12 The central role of information systems in managing crises - Knowledge@SMU3/3knowledge.smu.edu.sg/article.cfm?articleid=1411A ll materials  copyright of Singapore Management Univers ity (http://www.smu.edu.sg) and the Wharton School (http://www.wharton.upenn.edu) of theUnivers ity of P ennsylvania (http://www.upenn.edu), P rivacy P olicy (http://knowledge.smu.edu.sg/privacy.c fm). (#top) (#top)

The Central Role of Information Systems in Managing Crises

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Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University

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