Interorganizational networks in dynamics of disaster: Comprehensive approach to network effectiveness

Abstract

Governments grapple with the challenges of uncertainty and complexity in disasters due to interconnected actors. This research explores how government organizations can effectively operate during disasters. Two aspects of network effectiveness—structural and procedural approaches—are considered. The structural approach emphasizes the network stability, while the procedural approach focuses on the process of network evolution. Analysing and comparing response networks from two earthquakes in Korea, a crucial environmental change—government reorganization—between them was identified. This allowed to assess how environmental changes impact network effectiveness. The findings suggest that effective disaster management requires complementing centralized authority with actual power distribution, empowering subnetwork groups as centres of common knowledge base, and emphasizing coordination among organizations with diverse expertise.