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Björn J E Johansson. (2020). Boundary Stories – A Systems Perspective on Inter-organizational Learning from Crisis Response Exercises. In Amanda Hughes, Fiona McNeill, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2020 Conference Proceedings – 17th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 427–434). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Inter-organizational exercises are commonly conducted with the aim to improve overall crisis response system performance. However, there are challenges associated with establishing learning goals for, designing and evaluating inter-organizational exercises. This work-in-progress paper applies a systems science perspective on the Swedish crisis response system with the aim to understand (1) what kind of a system it is (2) what properties or mechanisms enable good system performance?, and, (3) what are desirable training goals for improving the crisis response capability of the Swedish crisis response system? The author suggests that (1) the Swedish crisis response system can be seen as a Complex Adaptive System, and (2) that the focus must shift from exercising organizations' intra-organizational capabilities to adaptive capabilities. The latter can be achieved by designing exercises comprising boundary-crossing activities with the purpose to support the buildup of boundary-crossing competence. Cross-organizational learning can be achieved by identifying, documenting and disseminating boundary stories.
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Peter Berggren, Molly Lundberg, Joeri van Laere, & Björn J E Johansson. (2019). Community resilience towards disruptions in the payment system. In Z. Franco, J. J. González, & J. H. Canós (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response And Management. Valencia, Spain: Iscram.
Abstract: This paper presents a study where nine Swedish citizens were interviewed about their concerns and expectations, from a customer perspective, in relation to a 10 day disruption in the payment system. The purpose of the study was to understand the customer?s perspective in order to provide input to the development of a simulation environment. This simulation environment aims at allowing different stakeholders to experience how a disruption in the payment system affects the local community and thereby create understanding of how resilience is built and affected. The research questions were: What do customers expect to get access to? When? What are customers prepared for? How does this differ among different customer groups? The results indicate some understanding of how such a crisis affects the local community and what the informants expects to happen. The respondents represented a diversity of socio-economic backgrounds from rural and urban parts of the municipality.
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Christian Uhr, Björn J E Johansson, Jonas Landgren, Martin Holmberg, Fredrik Bynander, Samuel Koelega, et al. (2016). Once upon a time in Västmanland – the power of narratives or how the “truth” unfolds. In A. Tapia, P. Antunes, V.A. Bañuls, K. Moore, & J. Porto (Eds.), ISCRAM 2016 Conference Proceedings ? 13th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Rio de Janeiro, Brasil: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Abstract: In 2014 a small fire started in a forest in central Sweden. Within a few days it developed into the largest wildfire in Sweden in the last 50 years. As the scale of the fire increased, so did the need for direction and coordination of the resources engaged in the response operation. Both official investigators and the research community have studied the challenges and come up with recommendations for improvements of the Swedish crisis management system. All authors of this paper have been involved in such efforts. This paper is a result of us trying to formulate lessons learnt based on several written reports and official discussions. The development of the narratives constructed by individuals involved in the response, investigators and researchers is analyzed. We conclude that researchers need to pay attention to their own role in this development. Maybe there is a need for a game changer on the methodological side?
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Peter Berggren, Mateo Herrera Velasquez, Jenny Pettersson, Oscar Henning, Henrik Lidberg, & Björn J E Johansson. (2018). Reflection in Teams for Training of Prehospital Command and Control Teams. In Kees Boersma, & Brian Tomaszeski (Eds.), ISCRAM 2018 Conference Proceedings – 15th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 203–211). Rochester, NY (USA): Rochester Institute of Technology.
Abstract: Prehospital command and control (PS) is a structure for handling medical accidents in Sweden. It includes terminology, command structure, roles, and performance indicators. The concept is taught and trained at the Centre for Teaching and Research in Disaster Medicine and Traumatology (KMC). The concept is trained using a mixture of lectures, simulation based exercises, and scenario designed by the participants. The scenarios are ran in Emergo Train System (ETS), a versatile and flexible table-top simulation platform, where medical command and control can be trained and evaluated. The purpose of this study was to develop structure for feedback and reflection by using a measure of shared understanding. The empirical study presents how the Shared Priorities instrument can be used to provide structured feedback for training. The paper is concluded with a discussion on how the empirical findings can be integrated in training prehospital medical command and control.
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Jonas Herkevall, & Björn J E Johansson. (2022). Understanding Understanding at the Boundary of Inter-organizational Crisis Management – Perspectives from the Swedish COVID-19 Response. In Rob Grace, & Hossein Baharmand (Eds.), ISCRAM 2022 Conference Proceedings – 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 322–333). Tarbes, France.
Abstract: The objective of this paper is to understand understanding at the boundaries of inter-organizational crisis management – through different practitioner accounts of the Swedish COVID-19 response. Large-scale crisis management is challenging, as it demands cooperation across organizational boundaries. This paper presents an interview study conducted in Sweden during the COVID-19 response. Findings suggest that cooperative work at the inter-organizational boundaries depends on the ability to bridge discursive boundaries. From the perspective of an organization, this demands understanding of the rationale, values, constraints and capabilities of other organizations. Interviewees expressed frustration due to the time demands of establishing such an understanding. Despite time demands, establishing understanding was needed as the ability to conduct basic tasks such as sharing information and resources, and coordinating action emerge from that understanding. In this paper, it is suggested that new approaches to training that comprise general boundary-crossing skills be added to existing training and exercise programs.
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