ANZSOG Research outlines value of building stronger connections to improve disaster recovery

ANZSOG Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) students have produced a report calling for a major rethink of how Western Australia’s public sector collaborates during disaster recovery, with a series of recommendations that are relevant across other jurisdictions. 

The Unseen Bridges report, produced by students as part of the EMPA’s Work-Based Project subject, was sponsored by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) in Western Australia and underscores the vital role of trust, organisational culture, and inter-agency relationships in rebuilding communities after natural disasters. 

ANZSOG has published the report, due to its quality and its relevance to the broader public sector, demonstrating the meaningful contribution such applied research can make to public sector leadership and practice. 

The report, written by EMPA students Alicia Le’Roy, Cory Pearce, Kate Jobling, Pratthana Hunt, Suzi Woodrow-Read and Troy Davies, was developed through extensive interviews and research across government agencies. It argues that while DFES has made significant strides in technical preparedness, the ‘implicit’ or ‘soft’ enablers of recovery, such as leadership behaviours, organisational culture, and collaboration, remain underdeveloped. 

DFES, which leads emergency response across Western Australia’s vast and diverse landscape, is increasingly tasked with coordinating long-term recovery efforts. However, the report finds that the transition from emergency response to recovery is often hampered by unclear roles, siloed communication, and a lack of shared understanding between agencies. 

The research argues that ‘implicit’ or ‘soft’ enablers of effective collaboration, such as organisational culture, leadership approaches and inter-agency relationships, complement the more explicit technical solutions and formal structures already being refined by DFES. The implicit factors are the ‘unseen bridges’ that enable stronger connections between agencies working together in long-term recovery to rebuild communities. 

Key Findings: Clarity, Capability, Collaboration

The report identifies three core challenges: 

• Clarity: Agencies often lack a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities during recovery, leading to duplication, delays, and confusion. 
• Capability: Many departments are not equipped, either structurally or culturally, for sustained recovery work. 
• Collaboration: Differing organisational cultures and a lack of trust hinder effective coordination. 

The Case for ‘Boundary Spanners’

The report highlights the role of the knowledge broker – an individual who works across group boundaries to connect bureaucratic silos in critical information contexts – as a significant opportunity to improve outcomes. This reflects the broader concept of ‘boundary spanning’, which refers to individuals or mechanisms that bridge organisational divides to support knowledge sharing and joint decision-making. 

Implications for Practice

To address the challenges identified above, the report outlines a series of recommendations, including: 

• A Strategic and Operational Knowledge Sharing Maturity Framework to guide agencies in improving collaboration over time. 
• A cross-agency capability development program focused on leadership, communication, and data literacy. 
• Formal liaison roles and inter-agency forums to build trust and maintain strategic networks. 
• A cultural transformation strategy to embed collaboration and knowledge sharing into the DNA of public sector organisations. 

The recommendations include immediate actions for implementation within 12-18 months and medium-term actions to complete within 18-24 months. Each recommendation forms part of an integrated approach to improve DFES’ coordination of recovery efforts. 

The findings of this research have broader implications for emergency management practices across Australia and internationally. As disasters become more frequent and complex, the need for effective knowledge sharing and coordinated recovery efforts becomes increasingly critical. The focus on the unseen ‘implicit’ enablers and the concept of boundary spanning provides valuable insights that can be applied in various disaster management contexts. 

The report’s authors urge public sector leaders to look beyond systems and structures and invest in the human side of disaster recovery. 

As climate change and urbanisation increase the frequency and complexity of disasters, the report’s findings have implications far beyond Western Australia. It offers a timely reminder that in times of crisis, the strength of our public institutions lies not just in their frameworks, but in their ability to work together. 

The Unseen Bridges research paper was prepared for DFES Western Australia by students in ANZSOG’s Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) program, as part of the EMPA’s Work Based Project subject. Work Based Projects are a key part of the EMPA and see teams of students, who are public servants themselves, conduct original research and make recommendations on an issue of concern to a public sector agency. The research has been made publicly available for free by ANZSOG, with the permission of DFES, because of its quality and relevance to public sector agencies more broadly.