“You are you, and I am me”: investigating inter-organisational collaboration between multiple emergency services
Abstract
Purpose
In the past decade, financial austerity has brought significant pressure upon emergency services in the UK. For the British Government, one approach to alleviate this pressure was to increase collaborative efforts in core functions (e.g. information systems and technology) between multiple organisations. Despite the consensus that collaborations are key in addressing complex problems, the majority fail or become discontinued. This research explores the development of collaborative information infrastructures between one Police Force and two Fire and Rescue Services in the UK, with a specific focus on how the difference in culture, identities and rules and norms, can work in a collaborative emergency service environment.
Design/methodology/approach
This study investigated an example of successful development of a collaborative information infrastructure within the context of public safety and, specifically, the technology-based structures that underpin information management. A case study approach was taken, combining semi-structured interviews, document analysis and site visits. The study used activity theory as a theoretical and analytical framework.
Findings
The research revealed that creating a shared identity is not essential in emergency services collaboration, and organisations may maintain their separate identity, given they address other elements of the activity system (e.g. leadership, motivated subjects). However, pursuing this strategy will create multiple tensions throughout the collaboration process.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the information systems literature concerning inter-organisational collaborations in the public sector providing a novel view to the implications of maintaining separate identities, and the significance of misalignment between interacting activity systems.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Professor David Allen and Dr Alistair Norman for their insightful comments on earlier drafts of this paper, as well as the editor and reviewers for their comments and thoughtful suggestions. The author would also like to thank all the staff in the studied Police Force and Fire and Rescue Services for their professionalism and willingness to participate in the empirical study. The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author and should not be taken to reflect the judgement, understanding or opinions of any of the organisations.
This work was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) – ES/J500215/1.
Citation
Zaghloul, F. (2024), "“You are you, and I am me”: investigating inter-organisational collaboration between multiple emergency services", Information Technology & People, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-06-2023-0620
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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