Keep Calm and Carry on: the Importance of Leadership and Crisis Management During a Natural Disaster: A Comparison Between Iceland and New Zealand

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to apply leadership and crisis management theories to natural hazard respondents and monitoring agencies in Iceland and New Zealand. The emphasis is on leadership role and the crisis challenge and what methods can be applied in order to obtain better communication, mitigation and coordination in future crises. Two case studies are investigated, one from each country. Main findings are that the importance of leadership and psychological aspect during a natural disaster is essential and improved risk assessments for all types of natural hazards are necessary. The case studies fit into the leadership and management theories. They have several things in common, such as both came as surprise to everyone and immediate action had to be taken. However both disasters are common in each country but they had new factors that increased the risk temporarily. The difference is in more structured response in New Zealand whereas the Icelandic ones were more spontaneous. This could be a result of cultural influence. The low population size in Iceland shortens the communication lines but there is not enough man-power to maintain high communication standards if the disaster´s duration is for a long time. New Zealand has a strong emphasis on preparation among the public and responses to a natural disaster are presented widely, in public buildings, shools and all information are gathered in one website. However, despite all the preparation the application the theories of leadership and crisis management can help the DCEM, scientists and stakeholders to better understand the public’s response and criticism so they can keep calm and carry on.