Competence X Commitment X Contribution
7. The Case: Heads of Emergency Operations
“The Head of Emergency Operations role is pivotal to the success of IFRC in reaching its objectives in all of the disaster operations in which it operates.”
(IFRC, 2016b, p. 3)
7.1 Background
The Head of Emergency Operations, HEOps, is “a cadre of well-prepared and experienced operational leaders that reflects the nature of the Movement, with increased and diverse local and regional knowledge, linguistic and cross-cultural skills, amongst others.”63. The HEOps pool64 was created in
2012 to meet a need for enhanced senior leadership for medium and large- scale emergency operations around the world.
The rationale for the creation of the (HEOps) pool was identified in the findings and recommendations of a number of operational reviews. These include a thorough feasibility study65 conducted by a consultant funded
by the British Red Cross. While the Feasibility Study (2011) as such is a confidential document and cannot be included in the reference material in its entirety, some points will used throughout the final sections of this research report in order to clarify the underpinning philosophy for creating the HEOps pool and its strategic and practical implications.
According to the study, during the past decade humanitarian aid organizations have aimed to distinguish operational humanitarian leadership from senior operational management. The difference between the two is evident in the way the IFRC separates leadership and management. 63 Program Description, Developing Heads of Operations, 12.4.2015. Confidential
64 A ‘pool’ is used for the three HEOps who are contracted by the IFRC for rapid deployment. 65 HEOps Feasibility Study, Final. May-July 2011, Confidential. Referred to as Feasibility
According to the depiction in the IFRC HR Strategic Framework Document (Confidential), leadership produces change and movement, whereas management generates order and consistency. Thus, leaders create vision and strategies for emergency operations, while managers are responsible for ensuring that operations runs smoothly and the vision and strategy are implemented as efficiently as possible.
Also, as outlined in the Feasibility Study (2011), the IFRC Secretariat had some challenges in identifying appropriate candidates for the positions, i.e. leadership positions in medium to large-scale disasters.
Benchmarking was carried out in other humanitarian aid organizations for the Feasibility Study (2011) to learn how they had built their respective pools. Oxfam, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the ICRC, and UNDAC66
(United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination) included in the benchmarking had succeeded in the creation and management of their pools, which also addressed similar needs and challenges.
The HEOps was determined in the Feasibility Study (2011) as a vehicle to recruit, develop, and deploy humanitarian leaders, whose background would be in management roles of large humanitarian operations. However, the HEOps role requires a more external, strategic focus than their previous management roles had possibly done. . The role also calls for an in-depth understanding of the context of operations as well as an ability to provide an overall vision and strategic framework for the operation. The strategic framework is discussed later in this section in connection to examining the responsibilities of HEOps in operations. Furthermore, at this point it is useful to clarify the usage of the terms ‘strategy’ and ‘strategic’ in the IFRC: in general, the IFRC uses the term ‘strategic leadership’ in situations that are more or less equivalent to ‘operational’ or ‘action planning’ in the corporate world. On the other hand, the term ‘strategic’ is linked to the IFRC’s definition of ‘Leadership’ rather than ‘Management’: as stated above, leadership should produce change and movement, establish direction, and create a vision. In my view, ‘leadership’ in the IFRC context is strategic whether coupled with the term ‘strategic’ or not. This aspect was somewhat confusing to me when carrying out the research and analyzing the various documents, which I discussed several times with different people. The meanings of the terms ‘strategy’ and ‘strategic’ are so deeply rooted in the jargon and mindset of the organization that my comments were mostly ignored. In other words, the terms are established, and should be considered as issues that are simply viewed in different ways depending on the context. The issue is discussed in the confidential Feasibility Study (2011), which I take the liberty to quote in this area: “The HEOps role highlights important (but often confusing)
66 UNDAC was created in 1993. It is designed to help the United Nations and governments of disaster-affected countries during the first phase of a sudden-onset emergency. UNDAC teams can deploy at short notice (12-48 hours) anywhere in the world. They are provided free of charge to the disaster-affected country. http://www.unocha.org/what- we-do/coordination-tools/undac/overview [Accessed 20.2.2017].
distinctions between leadership and management, and between strategic and operational – terms which continue to exercise academics the world over. What matters for our purposes is that the HEOps’ responsibility is to provide field-based leadership to emergency operations. The role is more externally- focused and strategic than that of an operations manager, whose focus is more internal.” (Feasibility Study, 2011, p. 17). The eventual reasons and history behind the distinction fall outside the scope of this study.
Returning to the HEOps role and responsibilities after the brief explanation about terminology above, a key responsibility of the HEOps is to develop and articulate a response strategy as quickly as possible, and to ensure that the resulting operation is implemented in alignment with that strategy. In the Feasibility Study, a change in the response strategy compilation was pointed out; historically, response strategies have emerged from the operation ‘on-the-go’. The response strategy articulated by the HEOps should, instead, determine a direction and define strategic objectives from the outset. The need for a change towards improved response strategies and the overall sharpened focus on results and impact can be stated as additional reasons for the creation of the HEOps pool (Feasibility Study, 2011).
In short, the HEOps pool was designed to meet the need for senior leadership in medium and large-scale operations. Additionally, the increasing frequency and complexity of major disasters required more sophisticated strategic leadership and coordination roles. The need for greater predictability and continuity in providing high-quality operational leadership support to National Societies was one of the factors behind the decision to establish the HEOps pool67.
Certain issues in IFRC leadership in major emergencies were presented in a study conducted in 201168, which emphasized the need for an
experienced pool of humanitarian aid leaders. The study (BRC, 2011) indicated a lack of experienced leaders, which led to unfilled positions on one hand, and to deployments of a small group of experienced people time and again on the other. The latter caused stress reactions, even burnouts, rapid turnover of staff in emergencies, and possibly poor program delivery. Also, a need for clear authority to make high-level decisions in the field was mentioned in the study (BRC, 2011), which raised some concerns especially in the case of lack of authority in decision-making situations. The HEOps pool has addressed the issue with clear job descriptions and standard operating procedures (SOPs). However, the position of the HEOps in the organizational structure was not clear from the onset of the pool, an issue that will be discussed further in Section 7.3.
67 The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies will actively offer assistance to disaster victims through the agency of the National Society in a spirit of cooperation with the public authorities www.ifrc.org. [Accessed 20.2.2017 ].
68 British Red Cross (BRC) Scoping Study, 2011. Confidential. Will be referred to as either Scoping Study, BRC, 2011 or BRC, 2011.
Moreover, as discussed earlier in Section 6.2., many humanitarian organizations have increased their surge capacity in view of the above- mentioned complexity, increased frequency of disasters, and the significant increase in the need of humanitarian aid globally. This has resulted in a growing gap between needs and resources, particularly human resources (Austin & O’Neil, 2015). The HEOps can be seen to respond to these common challenges.
7.1.1 Requirements
“The role is challenging and exciting,
one that demands excellent leadership, team building, facilitation and negotiation skills.
It also requires the ability to develop workable strategies that truly make a difference in an emergency context.”
(IFRC, 2016b, p. 4)
For reasons of confidentiality, the job description of a HEOps cannot be presented here in detail, but some major issues will be pointed out in view of a better understanding of the case pool, the role, and related responsibilities and requirements.
The overall responsibilities of HEOps are described as follows: As a member of the DCPRR69 Team, the HEOps develop and enhance the work
of the IFRC in promoting a holistic and integrated approach to disaster management through a provision of timely and high-quality advice, and the development and maintenance of procedures and systems to support disaster operations. Additionally, the HEOps supports the development of appropriate tools and guidelines, and effectively represents and liaises with other humanitarian actors in the field70 .
The subsequent list of responsibilities has as many as twelve points, some of which are presented below: