Title: Exploring complex emergency situations' dynamic: theoretical, epistemological and methodological proposals

Authors: Jean-Luc Wybo, Melanie Latiers

Addresses: Ecole des Mines de Paris, France. ' Namur University, Belgium

Abstract: This article puts forward a way to study the dynamics of an emergency event. Our focus is on the dynamics of human collective activities during emergency periods and on their relations with the occurrence of crises. Distinguishing three dimensions for the analyses, a complex but rich framework is presented. The various theories on collective work (situated action, distributed cognition, interactionism, workplace studies) constitute interesting bases to start an accurate and complete analysis of collective actions in complex situations. The analysis of emergencies on the basis of these perspectives is a challenge for future research in this field.

Keywords: emergency management; emergency situations; dynamics; stakeholder coordination; crisis prevention; crisis management; human collective activities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEM.2006.010279

International Journal of Emergency Management, 2006 Vol.3 No.1, pp.40 - 51

Published online: 12 Jul 2006 *

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