Humanitarian Supply Chains:On the formation and strengthening of organizational collaborations

Abstract

What draws organizations to collaborate during response to humanitarian disasters? Humanitarian supply chains include eclectic groups such as non-governmental organizations, faith based organizations, philanthropic corporations, government agencies, and utility companies. These diverse organizations carry different objectives and operating structures. While they are there to work together, their differences may hamper their collaborative efforts. This study offers theoretical explanations and empirical evidence on how organizational relationships are formed and modified before and during humanitarian disruptions. It uses two contrasting explanations provided by communal�exchange theory of relationships from social psychology as to how organizational collaborations in humanitarian supply chains can be differentiated. It tests the effectiveness of these contrasting explanations on inter-organizational relationships involved in responding to Superstorm Sandy in 2011. Findings suggest that patterns of interaction before the disaster are indicative of the objectives, capabilities and reliability of those that would get involved during disaster relief efforts. More importantly, strong and established relationships can be based on exchangebased on communal protocols of relationships.

Key words : Humanitarian supply chains, NGOs, disaster relief, communal relationships, exchange relationships