RAPID: Network Improvisation in Emergency Response: An Application to Debris Removal Operations

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This Rapid Response Research Grant (RAPID) will investigate decision making processes within the emergent multi-organizational network that is undertaking post-Hurricane Sandy debris removal operations in the State of New York. The research is expected to contribute to an expanding body of research on how organizations improvise: that is, how they take creative and useful action under time constraint, with little or no possibility of undoing previous actions. This work will discover and examine relationships between degree of organizational improvisation and overall organizational performance, focusing specifically on tradeoffs between efficiency, effectiveness and distribution of effort by debris removal teams in the field. Detailed performance data will be extracted from records of loads hauled (as collected using existing computer-based systems), supplemented with questionaire data and cost estimates. The work will employ and extend methods drawn from research on queueing networks to analyze debris removal activities, supplemented by statistical- and simulation-based methods for characterizing the behaviors of individuals and groups within these networks. This work will include outreach to practicing professionals concerning the methods and results of this research. It will produce validated data sets for addressing improvised behavior within complex queueing networks, along with results that will be broadly disseminated through publications and presentations in academic and practitioner venues. Finally, this work is expected to contribute to society's ability to plan for and respond to large-scale disasters, particularly by improving understanding of the determinants of debris removal performance.