Organizational features in disaster risk management systems

Abstract

In structures composed of human social systems framed in complex settings exist emerging situations of crisis in which interaction and organization among individuals are key factors to respond effectively. Some of the critical aspects of emergency care are efficient decision making and cooperation between the different institutions involved to address the situation. The purpose of this article is to report a systematic review of the literature concerning the systems focused on managing natural disasters and emergencies as well as its characteristic features. It will be described the process followed in the review, the case studies regarding emergency care and the representation of four structural components: coordination mechanisms; information flow; structural flexibility; and roles and authorities within organizations. Lastly, it will be foster the discussion of this matter and the future research directions this may open about organizational engineering whose concern is the coexistence between structures of two kinds: the formal structure and the structure of information and knowledge.