Samenvatting

Organizing for safety and security has become increasingly complex. A multitude of actors is involved trying to respond collaboratively to problems varying from terrorist attacks to natural or man-made disasters. Interorganizational collaborative crisis and disaster management has become an essential tool to deal with multifaceted extreme events. Despite the popularity of collaboration in theory, case research has shown that it is difficult to achieve in practice. The different organizational cultures involved in interorganizational collaboration are perceived as a severe challenge to effective collaboration. This chapter asserts that a culture-as-problem approach is an unhelpful perspective. Cultural differences provide the leverage that is to be gained from collaboration and, if managed, enhance the value of collaborative activities in the field of crisis and disaster management. Increased awareness of organizational culture as an important factor in interorganizational collaboration and a focus on culture as an asset could break an important barrier to effective interorganizational collaboration during crisis or disaster.