Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

FACTORS INFLUENCING SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATIVE DECISION MAKING FOR FLOOD DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN MALAYSIA

Thiruchelvam, S., Zubir, S.N.A., Mustapha, K.N.M., Che Muda, Z., Ghazali, A. and Hakimie, H.

Abstract

In the event of any disaster, coordinated effort between stakeholders involved in search and rescue operations are of great importance for successful evacuation of victims. Single-handed effort has been proven to be futile during the period coupled by time constraint and excessive pressures. Therefore, leadership during these testing moments is the pillar for effective and efficient communication between agencies. The main objective of this article is to determine factors influencing successful decision making for flood disaster management in Malaysia. The key elements of decision making among search and rescue related personnel in the domain of disaster management was studied based on the approach used by previous researchers. Questionnaire survey were administered among lead agencies in the state of Kelantan and Pahang which were badly affected by the unexpected 2014 flood event. A total of 273 valid responses had been obtained for further analysis. Ten influencing factors of leadership for decision making were studied and leading the rank is the decision making approach which followed by quality of decision maker, decision making results, and ethical decision making. It is clear that these factors played an important role during actual moment of duress notwithstanding literature showed that characteristics of decision makers, human factors, impediment, external factors and limitation have certain gravity towards the decision making by leaders of those related agencies. This study also reveals a unique feature of the leaders whereby their decision making process was least effected by stress. The results from this study showed that leadership in decision making during disaster is an integral element paving the way for successful collaborative decision making and steps need to be taken in order to improve the ability of lead agencies to work closely in order to reduce loss of lives should any untoward incidents occur in the near future.