Structure versus freedom of action: leadership during the rescue operation following the 2004 tsunami

A civil contingencies agency management system for disaster aid

“…Testing the trustworthiness of the empirically grounded model was conducted on the primary data from well-documented studies of management of similar crises or disasters (Alvinius et al, 2010;Sjöberg et al, 2006). These empirical data sets were gathered as part of previous projects at the Swedish National Defence College and were thus the legal property of the organisation and at the disposal of the authors.…”

Organisational and Individual Leadership Challenges During the Rescue Operation Following the 2004 Tsunami

“…In this supporting role was the Swedish Armed Forces Operative Unit, which supervises missions in Sweden and abroad on a daily basis. The National Board of Health and Welfare was also involved during the rescue operation in Thailand, its task being to work with emergency management within the healthcare system, for example, with the prevention of infectious diseases, social services, provision of information and allocation of government grants to the county councils, home transport of injured Swedish tourists and provision of medical care in the field (Alvinius, Danielsson & Larsson, 2010a).…”

“…We discovered that many high-level leaders in Swedish Government were on Christmas vacation when the tsunami struck South East Asia in 2004, and even the prime minister was away and had not watched the news. However, for some other organizations that are not normally operational during vacations, the holiday was actually advantageous as it meant that day-to-day work did not hinder disaster management activities (Alvinius, Danielsson & Larsson, 2010a).…”

“…Society puts demands on authorities to manage crises that arise, and these demands can trigger emotional processes on an individual, group and organisational basis. Such demands are often about mobilising the right resources in relation to the occurred event, and it is in this context that one often talks about incremental stress and tension (Alvinius, Danielsson & Larsson, 2010a).…”

“…Some 20,000 Swedes were on holiday in Thailand when the tsunami struck. According to a Swedish Governmental Official Report (SOU, 2005:104), it could be confirmed in 2005 that 543 Swedes died and 18 are still missing (Alvinius, Danielsson & Larsson, 2010a;Alvinius, Danielsson & Larsson, 2010b).…”