Social media and knowledge integration based emergency response performance model

Abstract

Emergency Response (ER) during the flood is increasingly being characterized as a complex phase in disaster management as it involves multi-organizational settings. This scenario causes miscommunication, lack of coordination and difficulty in making life-saving decisions, which decreases organisational performance. Accordingly, Knowledge Integration (KI) can reduce and resolve problems of coordination and communications which lead to decisions being made at a proper time, thereby increasing the task of Non- Government Organisations (NGOs)’ capabilities to achieve better performance. Moreover, use of Social Media (SM) provides many advantages that may assist in eliminating KI’s challenges and enhancing its dissemination at low cost, particularly for NGOs that work in disparate places. Despite this, current research into the improvement of task performance using KI through SM in the emergency response context is, unfortunately, limited. Most of the studies are not empirical and there is a lack of theoretical foundation for improving task performance using KI, in addition to using SM to facilitate KI in the flood disaster ER. Hence, it is important to address these issues. The main objective of this study is to identify the factors that influence the Emergency Response Task Performance (ERTP). In this research, the factors which affect the performance of ER tasks were elicited through a review of the literature to identify the essential factors influential NGOs’ emergency response. Then, this study developed an ERTP model by combining Knowledge-Based Theory (KBT) of the firm and the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) theory, used to utilise technology. This study applied a quantitative approach to examine these factors. Based on purposive sampling, questionnaires were distributed to over 700 staff and volunteers working for 12 NGOs in Sudan. Smart PLS 2.0 M3 and IBM SPSS Statistics version 24 were used to analyse the data. The results revealed that KI is a significant factor related to ERTP. In addition, it was found that the SM usage factor was significantly related to KI. Furthermore, this study discovered significant differences among the various experiences of volunteers and staff when it comes to utilising SM for knowledge integration in the context of ER response. The results of the study contribute to the body of knowledge by providing a model for ER managers, team members in NGOs and decision-makers to use it as a guideline for successfully assessing and validating ERTP. Additionally, it sets guidelines that may be useful for NGOs in the effective use of social media as a platform for integrating knowledge. Finally, this study provides recommendations to flood decision-makers who are considering enhancing the performance of the tasks within their organisations.