Choice of Governance Mechanisms to Promote Information Sharing Via Boundary Objects in the Disaster Recovery Process
Abstract
Given the difficulties and criticality of information sharing in a multi-agency setting, this paper looks at the IT governance mechanisms used to promote information sharing via shared boundary objects in the disaster response and recovery process. A longitudinal, descriptive case study relates the experiences of a community of disaster recovery stakeholders from a coastal region as they work together to share digital geospatial data on the community’s physical utility infrastructure. Previous research is affirmed and extended in four empirically grounded research propositions addressing the nature of shared boundary objects, multi-agency governance, multi-agency performance metrics, and governance alignment. No exact governance configuration is deemed superior (except maybe avoidance of anarchy); however, there is a strong tendency not only to centralize, but also to retain localized control.