Timothy W. Sevison

Agenda What is White Space ICS and NIMS

System Failures Emergency versus

Disaster and Incident Complexity

ICS White Space Issues

Management and Leadership of the White Space

Objectives Discuss the

complexities involved in the management of emergencies and disasters and recognition of the significance of the white space in our typical ICS organizational model

Tasks and decisions fall outside of the organizational chart

Policies, statutes and authorities are unclear or ill defined

Strategy is unclear Areas where hand-offs and cross-

functional activities occur

ICS is a hierarchical bureaucratic system that is intended to prevent the traditionally slow response of bureaucracies by having scalable pre-scripted roles and responsibilities

NIMS expands on the concepts of ICS and is a uniformed set of processes and procedures to be used at all levels of government during large-scale disasters

Hurricane Andrew Murrah Federal Building Bombing 9-11 Hurricane Katrina Deep Water Horizon

EMERGENCY (SIMPLE) DISASTER (COMPLEX)

Predictable Situational Awareness is

achievable Known incident

parameters Involves relatively small

number of interacting elements and resources

Effectiveness of tactics readily apparent

Unpredictable Situational Awareness is

difficult or unachievable Unknown or difficult to

define parameters Involves large number of

interacting elements and resources

Effectiveness of solutions difficult to determine

Experience Local familiarity Predictability Direct cause and effect Repetition

Disasters by definition are complex events The ICS organization will continually

evolve (emerge) as it becomes a more complex system

Focus on form over function Activity Trap 9-11 Logistics Katrina NOC information Katrina USCG-FEMA (FCO-PFO) issue

Focus on Objective (MBO) versus Outcome Apollo 13 Cave Collapse

Failure to recognize queue based (experienced) decision making Evaluation of effectiveness of heuristic decision (trial

and error) not timely Planning for last disaster as opposed to next disaster Known knowns, Known unknowns, Unknown unknowns

Recognize Complexity Increase cross-functional interaction Allow, embrace and support spontaneous

organization Decision points versus Decisive Points

Solutions not imposed, rather opportunities recognized and exploited

Promote ideas and non-linear thinking Tiger Teams (Apollo 13)

Look for what works as opposed to what is “supposed” to be done

Solicit innovative and creative approaches Increase horizontal organizational

interaction Challenge assumptions and personal bias

Our plan was perfect except the storm began sooner than expected

Ownership, turf, etc..

Krill, S. (2010) Emergency Management Higher Education Conference presentation

Snowden, D. & Boone, M. (2007) A Leaders Framework for Decision Making. Harvard Business Review. November 2007

U.S. Government (2006) hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared. Chapter 27. http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/sr109-322/ch27.pdf

Koehler, G. (1995). What Disaster Management Can Learn from Chaos Theory. http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/96/05/over_12.html

Maletz, M. & Nohria, N. (2001). Managing the Whitespace. HBS Working Knowledge. http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/2064.html

Franco, Z. & et al (2009). Evaluating the Impact of Improvisation on the Incident Command System. http://www.terrorismpsychology.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/iscram2009_final.pdf

Ray, D., & Elder, D. (2007). Managing Horizontal Accountability. http://www.teaming-up.com/pdfs/mha.pdf