Emergency management: Implications from a strategic management perspective

This study argues the necessity for and the benefits of a strategic management approach in current emergency management systems. Strategic management is characterized as a long-term process for developing a continuing commitment to the mission and vision of an organization, nurturing a culture that identifies with and supports the mission and vision, and maintaining a clear focus on the organization's strategic agenda throughout all its decision processes and activities. Recent emergency management practice demands that more strategic approaches and management styles be utilized than before. This study addresses the following benefits of the integration of strategic management into emergency management: forward thinking, professionalization, capacity building, goal identification and achievement, increased public support, increased funding, and greater accountability. This study offers the following suggestions for fostering strategic planning in emergency management practice: centralize planning and decentralize execution, strengthen the intergovernmental response process, build cooperation among public and nonprofit organizations, provide training for operating emergency management strategic planning, and recruit professional emergency managers. Implications for future research are also presented.