Tehran University of Medical Sciences Institute of Public Health Research

Health Emergency & Disaster Department (HE&DD)

Coordination

Ali Ardalan MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

Emergency situation

Overwhelming needs

Competing priorities

Destroyed or damaged communication and

transportation infrastructure

A rapid influx of providers of humanitarian assistance

coupled with an outburst of mutual aid from local citizens

Highly stressed local governmental and non-

governmental institutions.

Definition

Coordination may be defined as intentional actions to

harmonize individual responses to maximize impact and

achieve synergy - a situation where the overall effect is

greater than the sum of the parts.

There can be a little coordination or a lot of coordination

and, for the most part, the more coordination - the better.

Absence of Coordination: Characteristics

Gaps in service to affected populations

Duplication of effort

Inappropriate assistance

Inefficient use of resources

Bottlenecks & impediments

Slow reaction to changing conditions

Frustration of relief providers, officials and survivors

Final result:

Unsatisfactory response

Good Coordination Results:

Humane, neutral, and impartial assistance

Increased management effectiveness

Shared vision of the best possible outcomes

Seamless approach to service delivery

Donor confidence resulting in sufficient resources

The least possible amount of human suffering

and material damage and a rapid return to

normal living conditions and the ongoing

progress of development.

اي از تركيب يك تيم فرضي )پيشنهادي(:‌نمونه

Your Tasks:

Develop a plan, including objectives and activities that your group will do to address this emergency/develop an EOP.

Develop a coordination plan with other actors.

Nominate a person to make a presentation of your plan and how your group developed it

Coordination basis

Begins with the initiation of:

Working relationships

Regular sharing of information

Coordination basis

Coordination rarely is the result of one group or organization telling

another what or how to do their work:

Directing not Coordinating !!

Uncommon situation

Control of relief operations by a strong national government

Coordination basis

Agencies and individuals must see some added value from

participating in the coordination process & benefits must outweigh

the costs.

Coordination costs !!!: Time, other resources & may result in one organization:

Taking a “back seat” to another

Closing operations in one area

Taking on a challenge at which they may be less successful

Reducing their organization’s profile

Coordination Strategies

Participation

Impartiality

Transparency

Usefulness

Coordination Strategy: Participation

Coordination occurs:

Through the legitimacy derived from involvement

Within an agreed & supported structure and process by actors

Coordinator must:

Secure & maintain the confidence of the other actors

Engendering an atmosphere of respect and good will

Organizations need to participate in deciding the policies, procedures, strategies and plans that will

affect them.

Coordination Strategy: Impartiality

Coordination should:

Not be seen to favour one organization

Advocate the principle of impartiality

The provision of relief solely on the basis of

need irrespective of race, religion, political

affiliation, gender, or age; provided by the

actor most likely to achieve the desired

outcomes.

Coordination Strategy: Transparency

Coordination requires trust and trust requires transparency

This will include the need to admit failure or at least falling short of

objectives.

The willing flow of information, open decision-

making processes, and publicly-stated, sincere,

and honest rationales for decisions.

Coordination Strategy: Usefulness

Coordination process must produce useful products, processes, &

outcomes:

A platform for decision-making

An opportunity to use shared resources

A venue for donor recognition and support

A comfortable place to share frustrations and try out new ideas

Field-based Coordination

Strategic level

Operational level

Coordination technique: Promote an understanding of collaborating organizations Coordinator must first get to know the players by understanding the

mandates, intentions and capacities (material & personnel resources) of

various organizations:

Meeting & interviewing the agencies representatives, ASAP

Use a standard interview procedure

Recording the results at the coordination centre

Regular update

Briefing new arrivals and visitors

Who does what, where

A person should be able to walk into the coordination centre and have, easily accessible, a copy of descriptive information

on all operating agencies and the particulars of their operations.

Coordination technique: Make a Linkage Selecting the organizations to liaise:

Sector Geographical area of operation Government or opposition coordinating agent

Team members should ensure that the linkage has been made: Contacting the parties Organizing a meeting Escorting one of the parties and facilitating the introductions of the

organizational representatives

Some important and helpful linkages may already be operating: Small emergency relief community People knowing each other or having worked with one another in a previous

emergency Opposite situation: Unsatisfactory prior relationship

Coordination technique: Promote transparency Transparency: To see how & why decisions are being made

Reluctance to transparency: Natural tendency ?! Fears of disapproval Fears of that ideas will be stolen or resources monopolized Fears of that freedom of action or the ability to change course will

be circumscribed

Coordinator agency must model transparency in its own processes. Periodical evaluation Showing how the operation is improved by increasing the

coordination

Coordination technique: Start with the need of others Wrong approach:

“As coordinator we need this information to be able to coordinate”. Thus, the need for coordination resides in coordinator not in the

coordinatees.

First ask how you can help the others

Adopt a marketing approach where you try to find out their needs

and meet them, as opposed to selling them what you have to

offer.

Coordination technique: Write it down

Writing conclusions/agreements down provides a record for

follow-up and accountability.

Subject to change as situations change:

Updating

Coordination technique: Respect people’s time and schedulesDon’t let the coordination meetings get to be just another meeting!

Ensure that the meetings need to occur and that there is vital and important work to be done.

Don’t be afraid to cancel a standing meeting if the agenda is not compelling enough.

Publish an agenda for the meeting and stick to the schedule.

Try to begin and end meetings on time.

Practice good meeting facilitation skills.

Ensure that everyone has a chance to say what is on their mind and that a small group or individuals don’t dominate the conversation.

Coordination technique: Provide useful information and servicesPractice the technique of asking others what they need!

If the team is the repository of useful information, people will

want to come to it

Some types of information will always be useful to almost

everyone Maps:

If you maintain accurate maps, updated on the basis of operation information, people will beat a path to your door.

Coordination technique: Provide useful information and services

The coordination centre should be a good place to:

Get a copy made

Get a weather report

Check-out what might be going on somewhere

Get a security update

OR just see a smiling and congenial coordinator willing to take a

few moments to listen

Coordination technique: Build on Strengths

It is important to ask people to do things they can do.

Too often people agree to a task that they can’t or won’t perform

under the threat of consensus or just part of wanting to be a

team player.

Ask people to do things they can easily accomplish, especially at

first.

Coordination technique: No Surprises

Nobody likes to go to a meeting and be embarrassed because

they don’t know something they should or that other people

know.

Coordinator will need to meet and brief people outside of the

formal meeting process to keep them updated on current or fast

changing events, shifts in resources or important visitors.

Coordination technique: Thank people and acknowledge their contribution

Important technique in building commitment to the coordination

process

When organizations have done good work, changed their

program or otherwise gone out of their way to put other’s needs

ahead of their own they need to be thanked and acknowledged,

publicly.

Few things will inspire more participation in coordination than the

feeling of being a valued contributor.

Coordination technique: Hand over functions to others

It’s an old cliché, but try to work yourself out of a job.

Giving jobs to others can only help in freeing you up to take on

another task.

Coordination technique: Use the informal time

Don’t miss the chance to build effective relationships at down-time.

Sharing information on hobbies, favourite sports teams, family, etc. all

contribute to building the personal regard that will encourage people to want

to associate with the coordination process.

Although there is a minimum amount of “down-time” during an emergency

mission but there are always opportunities to interact with the response

community during off-duty periods like meals or after-hours socializing.

Coordination technique: Propinquity Choosing and establishing the site for the coordination centre

Several of the functions initially taken care of by the team will very soon, or simultaneously, be filled by other agencies

For logistic or security reasons, organizations provide services the humanitarian community will want to stay close to.

The team should ensure that these entities establish themselves inside, or as close as possible to, the coordination centre.

This will provide the humanitarian community with a “one-stop-shop” and they will come to you for services and information in a natural way - a situation where it will be easier for you to achieve your tasks.

This will be a great advantage for the coordination process as people will have easy access to each other and there will be more opportunities for informal networking.

Coordination technique: Propinquity Choosing and establishing the site for the coordination centre

Several of the functions initially taken care of by the team will very soon, or simultaneously, be filled by other agencies

For logistic or security reasons, organizations provide services the humanitarian community will want to stay close to.

The team should ensure that these entities establish themselves inside, or as close as possible to, the coordination centre.

This will provide the humanitarian community with a “one-stop-shop” and they will come to you for services and information in a natural way - a situation where it will be easier for you to achieve your tasks.

This will be a great advantage for the coordination process as people will have easy access to each other and there will be more opportunities for informal networking.

Coordination barriers

The perception that coordination will limit autonomy and that the freedom to make decisions and run programmes as desired will be circumscribed.

Too many decision-makers or too many organizations involved which will complicate the process and make consensus, or at least agreement, too difficult to achieve.

Different expectations or beliefs about what is important, a priority, or the “right” thing to do in a given situation.

Lack of resources to devote to coordination or coordination seen as a low priority given limited time and resources.

Limited “field-based” decision-making authority such that no decisions can be made without HQ approval thus resulting in delays or having an agreement overturned.

Coordination barriers

Staff turnover where new staff lacks a commitment to coordination or are

unaware of coordination agreements.

Unilateral actions that ignore established coordination mechanisms of the

coordination body whether by donors or member organizations.

Ineffectual or inappropriate coordination leadership, for example, when the

coordination body exercises autocratic leadership and imposes decisions on

others without a transparent process of involvement.

A coordination process that is not working well, has unclear objectives, and

is seen to waste time without obvious benefits to those participating in it.

Principle of Coordination Take into account the needs of beneficiaries, not just the needs of the

NGOs and other actors. Set up a regular procedure for coordination Allocate time and staff. Designate a regular time and place for meetings. Facilitate meetings effectively - set ground rules and clear objectives, use

time wisely and state decisions clearly. Avoid duplication of efforts, and guard against competing with one another

for power and “turf.” Document research and decisions and SHARE them. Make rational use of local resources. Monitor performance and impact. Prevent “burnout” of personnel by

Planning carefully. Being clear about roles and responsibilities.

Contact info:

e-mail: aardalan@gmail.com

Office/Fax: +98-21- 88951401

Mobile: +98- 9123050192

Ali Ardalan MD PhD

Assistant Professor

Health Emergency & Disaster Department (HE&DD)

Institute of Public Health Research

Tehran University of Medical Sciences