Interaction and trust in emergency response organisations
- An agency theoretical and reflective practice approach investigating a new trust model.
The purpose of this study was to explore interaction and trust in emergency response organizations. We explored trust in leadership and certain elements of interpersonal relationships through agency theory related to, among other things, unforeseen pandemic crises.
All this is of relevance for training of leaders to be prepared either through education or via exercises. In addition, some challenges related to establishing good preparedness were also discussed. The empirical material consisted of in-depth interviews with seven key individuals with current and former management responsibilities at various levels in emergency response organizations.
Forsker
Johan Bergh
Medforfatter
Ole Boe, Trygve J Steiro
Navn på publikasjon
Proceedings of ICERI2023 Conference 13th–15th November 2023, Seville, Spain
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore interaction and trust in emergency response organizations. We explored trust in leadership and certain elements of interpersonal relationships through agency theory related to, among other things, unforeseen pandemic crises. All this is of relevance for training of leaders to be prepared either through education or via exercises. In addition, some challenges related to establishing good preparedness were also discussed. The method used in the study is interviews based on a self-developed interview guide. The interviews were conducted to collect data from selected employees in the police, the armed forces, and the national health service in Norway.
The empirical material consisted of in-depth interviews with seven key individuals with current and former management responsibilities at various levels in emergency response organizations. The basis for the interviews was a self-developed interview guide consisting of a total of 11 questions. The first four questions concerned the participant’s perception of interaction, trust, and learning points both for individuals and their organizations. All participants have practical experience of, and thoughts and opinions about learning and trust. The participants also have practical experience of planning and managing operations at various levels at home and abroad. We presented the participants with a trust model that we have developed. Trust in this model should be understood as a multidimensional sphere.
The empirical material showed that several participants noted that complexity was increasing from the inside out when they looked at the model. This meant that both the concept of trust and interaction were gaining additional importance.