Role of leadership in the management of disasters and emergencies

Name

Institution

Role of leadership in the management of disasters and emergencies

Research purpose

Crisis management involves activities aimed at minimizing the impact of a disaster. The effect is measured by determining the damage caused to people, the organization’s facilities, and public institutions (Boin et al., 2013). Crisis management’s objective is to ensure the protection of the three factors and prevention of any disasters that may occur and destroy the facilities. This responsibility defines the need for a crisis manager in an organization. Crisis management involves organizing, directing, and implementing actions to reduce the effect that a disaster may have on infrastructure, people, and institutions. These activities are part of the roles of a leader hence the importance of having a leader in managing disasters.

Research Questions

In determining the role of leadership in the management of disasters and emergencies, the research will be tied to the following questions.

What are the activities that managers undertake in managing disasters that occur in their respective leadership sectors?

What are the skills and competencies that are essential in the effective realization of the crisis leadership role?

Legal and Regulatory Framework

Crisis management involves regulations and policies that are developed by an organization or government to regulate activities undertaken in crisis management. Ethics recommends that the priorities of an organization or the people should first be considered in crisis management. Therefore, organizations develop ethical requirements when implementing actions that concern crisis management. Factors of moral rationality should be incorporated into the managerial strategies to ensure careful management of the internal and external shareholders during a crisis to reduce the effect of the disaster losses (Zamoum & Gorpe, 2018).

Leadership plays an essential role in crisis management by maintaining a positive direction. This responsibility is because the leaders represent the feelings of the stakeholders or affected individuals; hence any decisions made should be to protect their interests (Mazanek, 2015). There is also a possibility of the government taking part in the development of laws governing crisis management. These include rules on organization and functioning, decision making, coordination of activities by leaders, assessing the threats that have occurred, and the resources to be utilized based on the impact of the disaster. The crisis management system will only be developed by an institution’s top management involving the crisis manager. The strategies put in place must also be based on the goals of the affected individuals, and reduce the impact that the disaster has on them.

Also, there is a development of legal duties for disaster management managers, which include the duty to plan, liability to failure to follow the plan, and due diligence. A plan is appropriate before the execution of any activity hence allow the systematic occurrence of actions. Duty of care involves reasonableness to ensure there is a priority of lives and property. It also applies to recovery plans (Wilson & McCreight, 2012). Management focuses on imitation and continuity of current affairs, and leadership involves creativity, critical thinking, and agility (Fener & Cevik, 2015). Leadership is essential in management as they complement one another in getting practical results that help in preventing losses during a disaster.

References

Boin, A., Kuipers, S., & Overdijk, W. (2013). Leadership in Times of Crisis: A Framework for Assessment. International Review Of Public Administration, 18(1), 79-91. https://doi.org/10.1080/12294659.2013.10805241Fener, T., & Cevik, T. (2015). Leadership in Crisis Management: Separation of Leadership and Executive Concepts. Procedia Economics And Finance, 26, 695-701. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(15)00817-5

Mazanek, L. (2015). Leadership during Crisis: Threat Identification and Solution Proposal. Trends Economics And Management, 9(24), 62. Retrieved 23 June 2020, from.

Wilson, L., & McCreight, R. (2012). Public Emergency Laws & Regulations: Understanding Constraints & Opportunities. Journal Of Homeland Security And Emergency Management, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1515/1547-7355.2034

Zamoum, K., & Gorpe, T. (2018). Crisis Management: A Historical and Conceptual Approach for a Better Understanding of Today’s Crises. Crisis Management – Theory And Practice. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76198