Using a model of team collaboration to investigate inter-organizational collaboration during the relief effort of the January 2010 Haiti earthquake

Abstract

The earthquake that struck Haiti in the afternoon of January 12, 2010 devastated the nation and left the cities of Haiti in a state of ruin. Tens of thousands were killed in the wreckage, and survivors were left without the basic necessities of life. The world quickly responded with a massive outpouring of aid. However, due to the destruction of the infrastructure of Haiti, the coordination of this aid was challenging. The All Partners Access Network (APAN), an online information exchange and collaboration tool, proved useful in bringing together many aid groups, including several U.S. government entities, to effectively address Haiti's multitude of immediate and long-term needs. The APAN data recorded the collaboration that occurred between its users. The goal of this thesis is to utilize the data as a real-world example of how teams work together on unique, complex problems. The data was coded and analyzed with the objective of empirically evaluating the Office of Naval Research model of team collaboration. The model describes the individual and team cognitive processes, occurring during team collaboration, which facilitate decision making in seeking solutions to multifaceted, unique, and complex problems.