A Synthesise of Multidisciplinary Theoretical Discussions

Abstract

In the absence of an existing theoretical model or point of reference on organising urban reconstruction processes, this chapter provides an exploratory and multidisciplinary theoretical discussion on the subject matter bringing together organisational and disaster-development discourses. It creates an iterative communication between ‘what’ is expected and ‘how’ to organise reconstruction towards delivery of such expectations. This communication between disaster-development studies and organisation theory also extends to construction management. Reconstruction and recovery are strategically and systemically linked. As the physical agent for multidimensional recovery and the process of the production of lost assets, reconstruction activities must integrate means and tools for the delivery of ‘improvements’ and expected objectives as part of recovery’s big picture. This chapter identifies linkages and interactions among contemporary perceptions of disasters, post-disaster reconstruction, recovery and development, creating a baseline for understanding common contemporary expectations exist from reconstruction activities. The integration of disaster risk reduction measures and strategies as well as fit-to-purpose people’s participation are the two most common expectations of reconstruction programmes. Reconstruction programme are positioned as sociotechnical systems within organisation theory. This enables further interdisciplinary analytical inductive discussions. This chapter extracts common reconstruction organisational characteristics that can be looked for in organisation theory. Respectively, multiple lenses to organisation theory that could be related and influential on organising reconstruction activities are explored. Each of them offers an insight that sheds light on reconstruction programme and its sociotechnical system and related process. The combination of those creates a tentative theoretical conceptual model as a point of reference for multiple insights that further will be applied to the case and will be verified and polished later.