Pulling the Same Way? A Multi-Perspectivist Study of Crisis Cooperation in Government

Abstract

After crises have occurred, limitations in crisis management capacity often cause surprise and frustration. An explanation that frequently recurs in evaluations is a lack of efficient cooperation between organizations. Even though crisis cooperation is anticipated and planned for, it seems to create several problems. How is cooperation possible between organizations with different mandates, cultures and professions? This paper aims to identify factors that strengthen or hamper cooperation in crisis management between Swedish government agencies. A rationalist organizational and a social psychological perspective are applied, respectively, to demonstrate the interdependence of organizational context and human behaviour. One conclusion is that long-term organizing and exercises could help authorities to identify strengths and weaknesses such as differences in regulations and culture. If carefully addressed and considered, such insights could improve the effectiveness of cooperation during crises.