Title: Training for improvisation in emergency management: opportunities and limits for information technology

Authors: David Mendonca, Frank Fiedrich

Addresses: Information Systems Department, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 323 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102, USA. ' Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management, The George Washington University, 1776 G Street, NW, Suite 101, Washington, DC 20052, USA

Abstract: Skill in improvising enables emergency management personnel to make creative decisions under time constraint, even when risks are high. It therefore complements skill in plan-following, which is particularly appropriate when the current emergency is similar to a past one. This paper develops recommendations on how to use Information Technology (IT) in the design of training programmes for improvisation in emergency management. It identifies and describes key training outcomes and techniques, and provides an assessment of how training platforms can be used to support achieving the training outcomes. It therefore provides an agenda for new training methods and guidelines on how IT may best be used in executing this agenda.

Keywords: emergency management; training; improvisation; information technology; creative decisions; time constraints.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEM.2006.011301

International Journal of Emergency Management, 2006 Vol.3 No.4, pp.348 - 363

Published online: 14 Nov 2006 *

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