Larimer County

Modernizing Emergency Management for New Threats

As you look across the United States, you will see an enormous difference in the operations and strategy of emergency management programs, not to mention emergency operations center management during disasters. These differences are due to the hazards a jurisdiction might face, some are due to structural or authority levels within an organization, and some mirror the actions of first response agencies.

What is clear, however, is that old models cannot withstand the complexities of today’s interconnected and technical environment. In recent years, emergency management agencies have been asked to manage the opioid crisis, migrant resettlement, ransomware attacks and a worldwide pandemic. Because emergency managers are in the business of solving complex problems, emergency management programs of the future need to be designed to withstand disruptions and handle the unexpected.

Learning from Business to Strengthen Government

Over the last year, I have sought to find the answers to these challenges by researching complex systems and interviewing leaders. Businesses that are unable to adapt and handle disruption are destined to fail. They depend upon making a profit, appeasing shareholders and thriving in a highly competitive market.

Previous research literature made it clear that businesses that utilize a complex systems approach are better able to manage disruption, adapt and pivot as required to remain competitive. The same could be said for government operations.

People-Centered Leadership and Autonomy

Business leaders with experience in complex environments and a track record of innovation were interviewed to determine how they have structured their businesses for disruptive environments. The results ultimately led to five core themes—people-centered leadership, constant feedback loops, emphasis on adaptation and learning, decentralized decision-making and high levels of autonomy.

At the core of the research data was people-centered leadership. In complex business organizations, leadership is often structured relationally, not structurally. Instead of a traditional hierarchy, business leaders describe organizations with flat structures, dynamic roles, cross-functional collaboration, team-based approaches and the ability to reassign personnel based on complexity and need. Business leaders also described structuring their organizations around unpredictability and scaling operations in response to emergent needs.

“Organizations do not become resilient because they have good plans. They become resilient because they build systems that learn.”

Autonomy is highly dependent upon both the situation and the position of the personnel. Giving people higher levels of autonomy and decision-making power led to higher productivity and the ability to adapt better to disruption. The leaders described environments that gave teams the freedom to solve problems and make decisions.

The pace of change is too rapid to sustain large bureaucratic organizations with multiple approval levels. Decentralized decision-making assists in this process as it enables decision-making at various levels of the organization.

Turning Feedback into Organizational Resilience

The organizations that thrive in uncertain environments have discovered that feedback is about building systems that learn. The business environments that were studied use feedback to change the organization. In complex systems, outputs become new inputs. Customer experiences, employee observations, operational metrics and market signals continually reshape decisions. Additionally, data-driven feedback and technology integration assist leaders in tracking feedback and implementing necessary changes.

Leaders who have been successful at managing complex environments did not stop at sharing ideas and identifying problems. They tested solutions, piloted new ideas and experimented. They gave their people permission to fail and try again, allowing the organization to grow over time. Organizations do not become resilient because they have good plans, but because they build systems that learn.

These five lessons are valid in the emergency management and government space. We face disruptions every day and must learn to quickly pivot in order to maintain services and continue to serve our communities.

This research emphasized the significance of flexible approaches, adaptable policies and procedures, investment in employee growth and a growth mindset. Implementing the approaches in this study within business and government operations has the potential to reduce costs, increase employee retention and improve operational efficiency.