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Using Social Science to Understand and Improve Wildland Fire Organizations: an Annotated Reading List

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Using Social Science to Understand and Improve Wildland Fire Organizations: an Annotated Reading List United States Department Using Social Science to of Agriculture Forest Service Understand and Improve Rocky Mountain Research Station Wildland Fire Organizations: General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-201 September 2007 An Annotated Reading List Abstract____________________________________ Larson, Gregory; Wright, Vita; Spaulding, Cade; Rossetto, Kelly; Rausch, Georgi; Richards, Andrea; Durnford, Stephanie. 2007. Using social science to understand and improve wildland fire organizations: an annotated reading list. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-201. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 82 p. The wildland fire community has spent the past decade trying to understand and account for the role of human factors in wildland fire organizations. Social research that is relevant to managing fire organizations can be found in disciplines such as social psychology, management, and communication. However, such research has been published primarily for scientific and business audiences, and much of the fire community has not been exposed to it. Here, we have compiled and organized knowledge from a variety of social science disciplines so that it can be used to improve organizational practices related to firefighter and public safety, to assess the effectiveness of safety campaigns, and to improve firefighter safety trainings. This annotated reading list summarizes approximately 270 books, articles, and online resources that address scientific and management concepts helpful for understanding the human side of fire management. The first section, Human Factors and Firefighting, introduces readers to key workshops and writings that led to the recognition that human factors are prime ingredients of firefighter safety. The second section, Foundations for Understanding Organizations, consists of social science research that provides a foundation for understanding organizational dynamics. This section includes readings on decision making and sensemaking, organizational culture, identification and identity, leadership and change, organizational learning, and teams and crews. The third section, Understanding Organizations in High Risk Contexts, explores organizations that deal regularly with risk, uncertainty and crisis. This section includes readings on risk and uncertainty, high reliability organizing, and crisis communication. The publication concludes with Internet resources available for those interested in the management of fire organizations. Keywords: firefighter safety, organizational effectiveness, leadership, decision making, high reliability organization Cover photo—Discussing tactics at Buck Mountain Fire, Detroit Ranger District, Siuslaw National Forest (August 1967). Photo by S. Frear. Courtesy U.S. Forest Service. Cover design by Suzanne Lingle Schwartz. You may order additional copies of this publication by sending your mailing information in label form through one of the following media. Please specify the publication title and series number. Fort Collins Service Center Telephone (970) 498-1392 FAX (970) 498-1122 E-mail [email protected] Web site http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/publications Mailing address Publications Distribution Rocky Mountain Research Station 240 West Prospect Road Fort Collins, CO 80526 Rocky Mountain Research Station Natural Resources Research Center 2150 Centre Avenue, Building A Fort Collins, CO 80526 Using Social Science to Understand and Improve Wildland Fire Organizations: An Annotated Reading List Authors: Gregory Larson, Associate Professor Communication Studies, University of Montana Missoula, MT Vita Wright, Research Application Program Leader Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Missoula, MT Rocky Mountain Research Station U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Cade Spaulding, Graduate Student Communication Studies, University of Montana Missoula, MT Kelly Rossetto, Graduate Student Communication Studies, University of Montana Missoula, MT Georgi Rausch, Graduate Student Communication Studies, University of Montana Missoula, MT Andrea Richards, Graduate Student Communication Studies, University of Montana Missoula, MT Stephanie Durnford, Graduate Student Communication Studies, University of Montana Missoula, MT United States Department of Agriculture / Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-201 September 2007 Acknowledgments___________________ We thank Jim Saveland for conceiving of, and securing funding for, this project. We also appreciate Dave Thomas’ support from project initiation through completion, including his assistance in annotating approximately 20 books and articles. Both Jim and Dave suggested many readings that greatly improved the content of this list. Karl Weick, Dave Thomas, Mike DeGrosky, and Linda Langner provided in-depth reviews, ideas on organization, and suggested readings. We received additional helpful suggestions from the following individuals: Paul Chamberlin, Jim Cook, Jon Driessen, Don MacGregor, Dick Mangan, Jerry Pepper, Ted Putnam, and Larry Sutton. This project was funded by the USDA Forest Service National Fire Plan, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, The University of Montana, and the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center. Author Bios________________________ Gregory Larson is Associate Professor in the University of Montana’s Department of Communication Studies. Greg obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Colorado in 2000; his research emphases include: organizational culture, communication technologies, and occupational identity. Greg has published in journals such as Communication Monographs, The Journal of Applied Communication Research, Management Communication Quarterly and Organizational Dynamics. He became interested in the management of wildland firefighting in 1994, while living in Colorado during the aftermath of the South Canyon fire. Vita Wright is Research Application Program Leader at the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service. She obtained her Master’s degree in ecology in 1996, and has worked as a research application specialist since 1998. Currently working on her Ph.D. through the University of Montana, College of Forestry and Conservation, she is studying personal and organizational influences to the use of science by federal agency fire managers. Cade Spaulding, while authoring this publication, was a graduate student in communication studies at the University of Montana, Missoula. He obtained his Master’s degree in 2005 while studying the identity and identification among the Missoula Smokejumpers. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in communication at Texas A&M University, College Station. Kelly Rossetto, while authoring this publication, was a graduate student in communication studies at the University of Montana, Missoula. She obtained her Master’s degree in 2005 while studying parental comforting strategies, goals, and outcomes following the death of a child. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in communication at the University of Texas, Austin. Georgi Rausch, while authoring this publication, was a graduate student in communication studies at the University of Montana, Missoula. She obtained her Master’s degree in 2005 while studying identity in nonprofit arts organizations. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in communication at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. Andrea Richards, while authoring this publication, was a graduate student in communication studies at the University of Montana, Missoula. She obtained her Master’s degree in 2006 while studying verbal negotiation in romantic relationships. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in communication at the University of Texas, Austin. Stephanie Durnford obtained her Master’s degree in communication studies from the University of Montana in 2005. ii Contents____________________________________ Preface..................................................................................................................iv Introduction ...........................................................................................................1 Scope and Organization ..........................................................................................................1 Intended Audiences .................................................................................................................2 Obtaining These Readings ......................................................................................................2 References ..............................................................................................................................2 Annotated Reading List .......................................................................................5 I. Human Factors and Firefighting: An Historical Perspective .........................7 II. Foundations for Understanding Organizations ...........................................13 A. Decision Making and Sensemaking ..................................................................................13 1. How Do People Make Decisions? .............................................................................13 2. What is Sensemaking? .............................................................................................20 3. Sensemaking and Crisis ...........................................................................................20 B. Organizational Culture .......................................................................................................22
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