Application of project management to disaster resilience

Abstract

In this paper, we apply project management concepts and frameworks to the context of disaster resilience and examine how groups can increase the disaster resilience of a community. Based on our literature review and case study methodology, we develop a model that draws upon the relevant literatures in project management, operations management, disaster management, and organizational behaviour; we then compare that model with 12 disaster-related cases supported by four Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in India. Our model measures disaster resilience using both an encompassing measure we refer to as Total Cost to Community (TCC) that captures the interrelatedness of level of recovery (deliverables), speed of recovery (time), and loss minimization (cost) at a community group level, as well as through learning (single domain or alternate domain). The model indicates that the external elements of the disaster management process (scale, goal complexity, immediacy, and stakeholder variance) influence the internal characteristics of disaster project management (information demands and uncertainty), which in turn influence disaster resilience. The level of community group processes (group strength, group continuity, and group capacity) also influences learning, both directly and indirectly, through internal characteristics of project management. In addition, the relationship between the external elements of disaster recovery and the internal characteristics of disaster project management is moderated by resources available. This model provides interesting new avenues for future theory and research, such as creating operations research models to identify the trigger points for groups becoming effective and exploring the quantification of TCC, a new construct developed in this research. Ultimately, this model can provide a roadmap for NGOs and government entities interested in building disaster resilience among micro-enterprises in vulnerable communities.