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Assist or accuse?
Kuipers, S; Perlstein, S.; Wolbers, J.; Jong, W. 2023
Assist or accuse? Identifying trends in crisis communication through a bibliometric literature review
Article / Letter to editor
open access
Communication has always been key to crisis management research, but even more so in recent years, from multiple disciplinary angles. In this bibliometric study and review of the literature, we aim... Show moreCommunication has always been key to crisis management research, but even more so in recent years, from multiple disciplinary angles. In this bibliometric study and review of the literature, we aim to identify different clusters of crisis communication research in the literature and whether and how much these crisis communication research clusters overlap. With different fields taking an interest in crisis communication, we ask ourselves where the interests of these fields overlap, and to what extent the different communities are aware of each other's work. Apart from offering an overview of topical clusters in crisis communication research and connections between those clusters of studies on crisis communication, we identify and explain two main approaches to crisis communication: a political or accusatory approach, and a functional or assistory approach. We conclude in our study and discussion that these approaches may need to broaden their research horizons to ensure the applicability of crisis communication strategies beyond the countries, media platforms, and audience orientations that have predominantly shaped the existing research landscape Show less
Understanding distributed sensemaking in crisis management
Wolbers, J. 2021
Understanding distributed sensemaking in crisis management: The case of the Utrecht terrorist attack
Article / Letter to editor
open access
On Monday morning March 18, 2019 a terrorist opened fire inside a tram in the middle of the city of Utrecht. A key challenge in the Utrecht attack was making sense of the situation and organizing a... Show moreOn Monday morning March 18, 2019 a terrorist opened fire inside a tram in the middle of the city of Utrecht. A key challenge in the Utrecht attack was making sense of the situation and organizing a coherent response in a distributed command and control structure. This is a recurrent challenge in crisis management. As command structures expand, sensemaking becomes distributed when groups at different locations develop partial images of a complex environment. While most sensemaking studies focus on how specific groups attempt to collectively construct a plausible representation of the situation, few accounts of distributed sensemaking have appeared. This study explains how crisis managers made sense of the volatile situation across different command structures. Twenty-five crisis managers from different teams were interviewed by making use of the critical decision methodology. The analysis points to five factors that influence the quality of distributed sensemaking: type of interdependence, sensitivity to operations, plausibility, hierarchy, and identity. It signals that updating one's sensemaking does not only require noticing discrepant cues but is especially related to key social-cognitive and organisational processes that stimulate doubt, questioning, and a plurality of perspectives. Show less
In sturing blijven in dynamische operaties
Wolbers, J. 2020
In sturing blijven in dynamische operaties: Het deficit van ‘command & control’?
Article / Letter to editor
open access
2021-06-16T00:00:00Z
Codifying a crisis: progressing from information sharing to distributed decision‐making
Treurniet, W.; Wolbers, J. 2020
Codifying a crisis: progressing from information sharing to distributed decision‐making
Article / Letter to editor
open access
A key challenge in crisis management is maintaining an adequate information position to support coherent decision‐making between a range of actors. Such distributed decision‐making is often... Show moreA key challenge in crisis management is maintaining an adequate information position to support coherent decision‐making between a range of actors. Such distributed decision‐making is often supported by a common operational picture that not only conveys factual information but also attempts to codify a dynamic and vibrant crisis management process. In this paper, we explain why it is so difficult to move from information sharing towards support for distributed decision‐making. We argue that two key processes need to be considered: supporting both the translation of meaning and the transformation of interests between those on the front line and those in the remote response network. Our analysis compares the information‐sharing processes in three large‐scale emergency response operations in the Netherlands. Results indicate that on several occasions the collaborative decision‐making process was hampered because actors limited themselves to factual information exchange. The decision‐making process only succeeds when actors take steps to resolve their varying interpretations and interests. This insight offers important lessons for improving information management doctrines and for supporting distributed decision‐making processes. Show less
To the edge and beyond: How fast-response organizations adapt in rapidly changing crisis situations
Schakel, J.K.; Wolbers, J. 2019
To the edge and beyond: How fast-response organizations adapt in rapidly changing crisis situations
Article / Letter to editor
open access
Fast-response organizations excel in mounting swift and coordinated responses to unexpected events. There are a multitude of conflicting explanations why these organizations excel. These range from... Show moreFast-response organizations excel in mounting swift and coordinated responses to unexpected events. There are a multitude of conflicting explanations why these organizations excel. These range from acknowledging the strengths of centralized command and control structures, towards stressing the importance of decentralized, improvised action. Though this dichotomy is derived from studies offering either structure or action-based explanations, we were able to reconcile these insights by looking into the process of how fast-responders organize themselves during an unfolding crisis. We analyzed 15 high-speed police pursuits crossing multiple administrative units and jurisdictions, and interviewed and observed officers at work in multiple operations centers, police cars, and helicopters. Our analysis uncovered that fast-responders regularly transition between designed, frontline, and partitioned modes of organizing, each characterized by practices that shape command, allocation, and information sharing. Success and failure are rooted in the ability of the responders to adapt their mode of organizing by tacking back and forth between these practices. Based on our findings, we constructed a process model that provides a deeper understanding of fast-response organizing that informs future studies on organizing in extreme contexts. Show less
From reactive to proactive use of social media in emergency response: A critical discussion of the Twitcident Project
Boersma, F.K.; Diks, D.; Ferguson, J.; Wolbers, J. 2019
From reactive to proactive use of social media in emergency response: A critical discussion of the Twitcident Project
Part of book or chapter of book
open access
This chapter examines the introduction and implementation of the pilot project Twitcident in an emergency response room setting. Twitcident is a web-based system for filtering, searching and... Show moreThis chapter examines the introduction and implementation of the pilot project Twitcident in an emergency response room setting. Twitcident is a web-based system for filtering, searching and analyzing data on real-world incidents or crises. Social media data is seen as important for emergency response opera- tions: it can be used as an ‘early warning monitoring system’ to detect social unrest, and for improving common operational pictures (COPs). This chapter shows that the expectations on the functioning of the tool were not fully met: first it was hard for the response room professionals to make sense of the data and second, the management did not develop a proper project planning. The recommendations are twofold. On the one hand, the professionals who work with Twitcident must invest in developing new information management routines. On the other hand, the response room management needs to create a much more inclusive project learning strategy. Show less
Platform Governance of Self-Organized Initiatives in Response to Disasters
Boersma, K.; Ferguson, J.; Groenewegen, P.; Mulder, F.; Schmidt, A.J.; Wolbers, J. 2019
Platform Governance of Self-Organized Initiatives in Response to Disasters
Part of book or chapter of book
open access
Progression of hearing loss after LINAC-based stereotactic radiotherapy for vestibular schwannoma is associated with cochlear dose, not with pre-treatment hearing level
Linge, A. van; Os, R. van; Hoekstra, N.; Heijmen, B.; Stienstra, L.; Dallenga, A.; ... ; Romero, A.M. 2018
Progression of hearing loss after LINAC-based stereotactic radiotherapy for vestibular schwannoma is associated with cochlear dose, not with pre-treatment hearing level
Article / Letter to editor
metadata only
BackgroundAlthough stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) for vestibular schwannoma has demonstrated excellent local control rates, hearing deterioration is often reported after treatment. We therefore... Show moreBackgroundAlthough stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) for vestibular schwannoma has demonstrated excellent local control rates, hearing deterioration is often reported after treatment. We therefore wished to assess the change in hearing loss after SRT and to determine which patient, tumor and treatment-related factors influence deterioration.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed progression of hearing loss in patients with vestibular schwannoma who had received stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) as a primary treatment between 2000 and 2014. SRS had been delivered as a single fraction of 12Gy, and patients treated with FSRT had received 30 fractions of 1.8Gy. To compare the effects of SRS and FSRT, we converted cochlear doses into EQD(2). Primary outcomes were loss of functional hearing, Gardner Robertson (GR) classes I and II, and loss of baseline hearing class. These events were used in Kaplan Meier plots and Cox regression. We also calculated the rate of change in Pure Tone Average (PTA) in dB per month elapsed after radiationa measure we use in linear regressionto assess the associations between the rate of change in PTA and age, pre-treatment hearing level, tumor size, dose scheme, cochlear dose, and time elapsed after treatment (time-to-first-audiogram).ResultsThe median follow-up was 36months for 67 SRS patients and 63months for 27 FSRT patients. Multivariate Cox regression and in linear regression both showed that the cochlear V90 was significantly associated with the progression of hearing loss. But although pre-treatment PTA correlated with rate of change in Cox regression, it did not correlate in linear regression. The time-to-first-audiogram was also significantly associated, indicating time dependency of the rate of change. None of the analysis showed a significant difference between dose schemes.ConclusionsWe found no significant difference between SRS and FSRT. As the deterioration in hearing after radiotherapy for vestibular schwannoma was associated with the cochlea V90, restricting the V90 may reduce progression of hearing loss. The association between loss of functional hearing and baseline PTA seems to be biased by the use of a categorized variable for hearing loss. Show less
Platformsturing van zelforganisatie tijdens rampen
Boersma, F.K.; Ferguson, J.; Groenewegen, P.; Mulder, F.; Schmidt, A.; Wolbers, J. 2018
Platformsturing van zelforganisatie tijdens rampen
Article / Letter to editor
open access
2018-12-31T00:00:00Z
    During a disaster or crisis, the response capacity of the government is put under extreme pressure. At the same time, citizens are often resilient in times of crisis and are increasingly capable of...

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    During a disaster or crisis, the response capacity of the government is put under extreme pressure. At the same time, citizens are often resilient in times of crisis and are increasingly capable of organizing themselves. Social media and online platforms have increased the possibilities for self-organization through improved connectivity. In practice, we see that governments struggle to deal with this form of self-organization, while it also offers a unique opportunity to increase the response capacity. The smart use of citizens’ initiatives offers opportunities and can increase the effectiveness of the government’s action. This article focuses on the following question: what role do online platforms play in smartly guiding the self-organization of citizens during crises and disasters? We answer the question on the basis of two examples: the role of online platforms in the aftermath of the earthquakes in Nepal in 2015, and the coordination of the reception of refugees during the crisis in the Netherlands in the winter of 2015-2016.

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Are you Ready2Help? Conceptualizing the management of online and onsite volunteer convergence
Schmidt, A.; Wolbers, J.; Ferguson, J.; Boersma, K. 2018
Are you Ready2Help? Conceptualizing the management of online and onsite volunteer convergence
Article / Letter to editor
open access
Citizens have often been found to converge on disaster sites. Such personal conver- gence is increasingly supported by online informational convergence. The adoption of online platforms represents... Show moreCitizens have often been found to converge on disaster sites. Such personal conver- gence is increasingly supported by online informational convergence. The adoption of online platforms represents an opportunity for response organizations to manage these two different manifestations of citizen convergence. We analyse one such platform, “Ready2Help”, developed by the Red Cross in The Netherlands. Our research demonstrates that by utilizing platforms, response organizations are able to transcend the boundaries between different types of organized behaviour during disaster. We extend the original conceptualization of organized behaviour, as previ- ously described by the Disaster Research Center, explaining how the development of new platforms channels convergence of citizens and information. As such, plat- forms provide an interface between established, expanding, extending, and emer- gent forms of organized behaviour. These developments change the landscape of organized behaviour in times of disaster. Show less