Determinants of organizational performance in disaster risk reduction: A preliminary study of global humanitarian NGOs

Abstract

AbstractHumanitarian organizations involved in disaster risk reduction (DRR) play a major role in helping communities better cope with disaster risks. But a lack of research has hindered our understanding of how to equip organizations with the capacity to carry out effective DRR measures. To address this question, this study unpacks the determinants of humanitarian organizations’ DRR performance. Survey data from 104 global humanitarian organizations revealed that external communication capacity was positively associated with organizational leaders’ perception of organizational DRR performance both directly and indirectly via interorganizational collaboration and social media communication. In contrast, collaboration communication quality was positively linked to perceived organizational DRR performance indirectly via interorganizational collaboration and social media communication. These findings highlight the centrality of communicative and relational resources required for effective DRR performance, which helps long‐term community resilience building. Despite social media's importance for engaging with stakeholders, this research suggests that organizations should also use media channels beyond social media to build external communication capacity and improve DRR performance.