Decision Making in Disaster Response: Strategies for Frontline Humanitarian Responders

The single most operational 'fit for purpose' book that I've encountered that is actually useful and realistically depicts the how/when/which/where/what/why of decision making in disaster response with limited information where several constraints - such as ill-structured problems, uncertain dynamic environments, shifting, ill-defined or competing goals, limited action/feedback loops, timeliness, multiple players, organisational policy and overall high stakes - really work.I recommend reading this book whether you're in the humanitarian sector or not and whether you're a decision maker or not. This should be required reading for any humanitarian from the get go.

GREAT book! ALL humanitarian workers should read it!!

I work as the country director for an INGO in the Middle East. J. S. Tipper has taken a creative, and extremely practical approach to helping the reader grapple with real world scenarios in crisis situations. This is certainly not a dry read on theory, nor is it unrealistic. As you move through the book, you are presented with situations where you have to make a decision in order to know which page to go to. It's like being at Tipper's training workshop, which I've seen. There's never a dull moment. You never have enough information to make a decision, and often it is pressured and time sensitive. Never the less, you have to make a decision. That is the crux of this book.I highly recommend this book to anyone working in humanitarian or development work. The principles and strategies presented here will help you do your job better, and more importantly they will make you and your resources more effective in serving those in need.

Die vielfältigen, praxisorientierten Entscheidungssituationen und -szenarien erzeugen ein Gefühl der Realität und erlauben es dem Leser unmittelbar die Auswirkungen seiner Entscheidungen zu "erleben". Sie fordern heraus, das eigene Entscheiden und Handeln zu reflektieren. Die Parallele mit einem Flugsimulator ist vom Autor treffend gewählt.Die "teaching section" am Ende der einzelnen Kapitel führt den Leser tiefer in die Materie, die im Szenario angesprochen wurde. Zum einen vertieft sie das Thema, zum anderen fordert sie heraus, anhand von Gedankenanstößen und angesprochenen Prinzipien den eigenen Standpunkt zu reflektieren und eigene Prinzipien zu formulieren.Sehr empfehlenswert für alle, die im Bereich Disaster Response arbeiten und sich auf sicherem Terrain und gleichzeitig sehr praxisnah mit gängigen Szenarien der Krisennothilfe auseinandersetzen möchten.