Personnel needs assessment in times of crisis: a focus on management of disasters

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to explain the importance of human resources and attempts to identify the competencies required by the personnel involved in disaster management operations. Design/methodology/approach The research uses a qualitative methodology to explore the competencies required by the relief workers using a content analysis approach to analyze the disaster literature and the job advertisements. The data for the content analysis was developed with the help of 23 independent coders, and exploratory inferences were drawn. Findings A detailed review of the literature highlighted the importance of competent personnel in disaster relief organizations. The analysis listed 34 mutually exclusive competencies and their relative importance, which were further divided into four competency clusters. The study also creates a competency dictionary that defines the competencies with the expected behaviors. Practical implications Deploying the right resources in the acute time frame during a disaster event can make a difference, and with lives at stake, such deployment acquires prime importance. In addition to contributing to humanitarian logistics literature, the competency model developed will also help forecast the future requirements and help the organization choose “the right person for the right job.” Originality/value The inferences drawn in the study are based on disaster management areas, unlike earlier research which also considered business logistics research.

Exploration of Accountability as a Mediator between Managerial Competencies and Supply Chain Performance of Relief Aid Organisations in Western Uganda

“…Similarly, a systematic review by De Camargo Fiorini et al (2021) established that that managerial competencies are key for relief supply chain performance. Besides, Meduri (2021) avers that during a crisis that is synonymous with relief activities, the management skills of the actors are vital for the success of the operation.…”

“…The council of supply chain management in 2010 defines supply chain performance as the capacity of a supply chain to source the right goods from the right source, at the right price, brought to the right place, and distributed to the right beneficiaries, in the right condition (Thomas & Kopczak, 2005;Zulfiya, 2017). Scholars have in the past explained supply chain performance in humanitarian operations based on human and logistic competencies (De Camargo Fiorini, Chiappetta Jabbour, Lopes de Sousa Jabbour, & Ramsden, 2021; Heaslip et al, 2019;Meduri, 2021;Rajakaruna & Wijeratne, 2019;Tatham, Altay, Bölsche, Klumpp, & Abidi, 2013). Nevertheless, most of these studies relied on evidence from other countries other than Uganda.…”

An Exploratory Study to Understand Nonprofit Organizations’ Crisis Leadership Competencies: A Portuguese Analysis on COVID-19

“…According to their study, there are six relevant competencies: building a foundation of trust, creating a new corporate mindset, identifying the (not so) obvious firm vulnerabilities, making wise and rapid decisions, taking courageous action, and learning from crisis to effect change (James & Wooten, 2005 ). Competencies, unlike skills, include behavioral attributes of an individual, which are observable, measurable and trainable and that allow him to achieve a higher level of performance required at work (Meduri, 2021 ). Competency is the process of executing a task at a high level and may lead to new standards of performance (Perry, 2019 ).…”

“…With societal pressures demanding that nonprofit executive leaders start emphasizing performance outcomes, efficiency, and evaluation much more so than in the past, an examination of organizational competencies in a nonprofit setting is desperately needed (Drucker, 1995;Perry, 2019). However, evidence of competency models in the non-profit context is minimal (Meduri, 2021). Particularly disconcerting is the lack of assessment of the NPO leader in the context of the crisis, given that nonprofit organization leaders are a heterogeneous group inserted in various spaces and functions within their organizations (McClusky, 2002) that build and maintain necessary organizational relationships -for the success of NPOs -especially during times of crisis (Gilstrap et al, 2016).…”

“…In this respect, this article intends to support NPOs crisis management efforts by developing knowledge at the level of the needed management and leadership competencies, when applied to the third sector. Evidence of competency models in the non-profit context is scarce and a competency-based approach in the NPOs context will help to develop a model that points to the underlying characteristics of an individual leading to superior performance in a crisis situation (Meduri, 2021 ).…”