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Inter-organizational Coordination in the Wild: Trust Building and Collaboration Among Field-Level ICT Workers in Humanitarian Relief Organizations

Abstract  

As many NGOs find themselves responding to the same crises, they have realized the potential benefits of coordinating their
information and communication technology (ICT) activities—sharing satellite communications and internet access, sharing disaster
assessment information—and have created cross-organizational coordination bodies. Coordination at the headquarters level across
organizations has proven to be insufficient, and some bodies are now engaging ICT personnel in their field offices in coordination
efforts. This case study presents the findings of one body’s field office coordination efforts among its ICT workers, where
trust building through collaborative activities is revealed to be essential elements in successful coordination across organizations.

  • Content Type Journal Article
  • Category OriginalPaper
  • Pages 1-20
  • DOI 10.1007/s11266-012-9285-x
  • Authors
    • David J. Saab, College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
    • Andrea Tapia, College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
    • Carleen Maitland, College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
    • Edgar Maldonado, College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
    • Louis-Marie Ngamassi Tchouakeu, College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA