Leadership in collaborative emergency management for compound hurricane‐pandemic threats: Insights from practitioners' experiences

Emergency management is a key government function for mitigating risks and reducing the impacts of disasters. Emergency management leaders play a critical role in preparing for and responding to disasters whose impacts are exacerbated by a pandemic. Using the example of the compound threat of hurricanes and the COVID‐19 pandemic, this qualitative research uses insights from emergency management professionals to describe collaborative approaches and leadership skills that help balance the needs for stability and flexibility. Data collected using focus groups and one‐on‐one interviews with emergency management professionals highlight that collaboration involved existing and new partners in a changing and uncertain environment that challenged traditional leadership of emergency management. The study develops understanding of how emergency management leaders navigate the tension between stability and flexibility in this different collaborative emergency management context involving a compound hurricane‐pandemic threat. Findings show that emergency management leaders leverage the stability of established partnerships, plans, and processes to bring in new partners with needed expertise, adjust based on new information, and meet specific COVID‐19 information needs. They utilize several skills to balance stability and flexibility including developing shared vision, stakeholder engagement, strategic thinking, adaptability, communication, and coordination. 应急管理是缓解风险和减少灾害影响的一项关键政府职能。应急管理领导者在准备和响应因大流行而加剧的灾害影响方面发挥着关键作用。通过以飓风和新冠疫情(COVID‐19)大流行的复合威胁为例，本定性研究使用应急管理专业人员的见解来描述一系列有助于平衡稳定性和灵活性需求的协作方法和领导技能。焦点小组和与应急管理专业人员进行一对一访谈收集的数据强调，在不断变化和不确定的环境中，现有合作伙伴和新的合作伙伴之间的协作对应急管理的传统领导力提出了挑战。本研究分析了应急管理领导者如何在涉及飓风‐大流行复合威胁的协作应急管理情境下正确应对稳定性和灵活性之间的紧张关系。研究结果表明，应急管理领导者利用已建立的合作伙伴关系、计划和流程的稳定性来引入具有所需专业知识的新合作伙伴，根据新信息进行调整，并满足特定的COVID‐19信息需求。这些领导者利用多种技能来平衡稳定性和灵活性，包括发展共同愿景、利益攸关方参与、战略思维、适应性、沟通与协调。 La gestión de emergencias es una función clave del gobierno para mitigar los riesgos y reducir los impactos de los desastres. Los líderes de gestión de emergencias desempeñan un papel fundamental en la preparación y respuesta ante desastres cuyos impactos se ven exacerbados por una pandemia. Usando el ejemplo de la amenaza compuesta de los huracanes y la pandemia de COVID‐19, esta investigación cualitativa utiliza los conocimientos de los profesionales de gestión de emergencias para describir enfoques colaborativos y habilidades de liderazgo que ayudan a equilibrar las necesidades de estabilidad y flexibilid