How Cognitive Networks Could Improve Crisis Response

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In non-governmental organizations, coordination of rapid response teams during emergencies/humanitarian crises faces a lot of challenges because of its linear design. A hierarchical structure, geographical dispersion, multiplicity of organizations, and disparate technical capacities make it difficult for the best ideas to be generated and a deep level of collaboration is near impossible. Usually what is learned in learned only in retrospect, not during the crisis. This inefficiency is measured in lives lost and increased morbidity.

Dr. Victor Soji Ladele, MBBS, who was a humanitarian aid coordinator for the World Health Organization during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Liberia, proposes deploying a cognitive network platform during emergencies and humanitarian crises that will facilitate a real time coordination mechanism. The benefits would include but not be limited to:

-Senior decision makers would receive quick feedback from the front lines and new ideas to enhance effectiveness of the response would be generated.
-Lessons learned in one location would be quickly dispersed throughout the response.
-Native inhabitants would be able to contribute their unique perspective to response activities, and responder teams can build on their very good ideas.
-The right people would be gathered around the table for the right meetings.

Furthermore, senior managers will see the effectiveness of various types of team composition and more quickly determine the optimal skill mix for different response scenarios based on objective measures.

We're in an important era for acting on partnerships with humanitarian and international development organizations, which have become more supportive of private sector engagement.

Join us for what is sure to be a fascinating discussion.

Free event, free food.