| With the increasing number and severity of natural disasters, the operating environment associated with humanitarian relief is becoming more complex. Humanitarian organizations, government agencies, and private industry at the national and international level may all be involved in relief activities at some level. However, the responsibilities and activities may vary among organizations. In addition, each organization has its own operating strategy and specific objectives as it relates to responding to the relief and recovery effort. As a result, coordination and collaboration at every phase of the relief lifecycle is challenging. It is obvious that better performance during relief operations can be achieved when agencies collaborate. Lack of coordination and collaborative strategies often results in prolonged suffering for those affected by the disaster.;The objective of this research is to explore coordination and collaboration structures present in non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This will be examined within the context of two local NGOs. A general reference process modeling framework is presented as a means of classifying collaborative activities. The main aim will be to provide insight into the horizontal and vertical level collaboration activities these organizations engage in and provide a standardized method for describing collaborative processes within humanitarian logistics. Issues associated with implementing these strategies are also discussed. |
