1. Organisational & Cultural Factors that Promote Coping.With Reference toHaiti and Christchurch
John Fawcett, MA
August, 2011
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments

2. Brief HistoryFocus on design and implementation of organisational practices that support resilience and coping
Experience
Cambodia 1993 - 1997
Global Director of Staff Support programs for World Vision International and Save the Children USA
Global Research study with School of Psychology at Fuller Seminary, CA, 2000
Middle East and Europe study 2003
Longitudinal Study CDC & Antares Foundation 2003 present (ongoing)
Asian Tsunami, Afghanistan, Haiti, Sudan, Chad, Christchurch
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
3. Population of Interest
Employees of agencies and organisations specifically in responding to or providing services in the disaster/emergency context
Wider social networks of employees including family, friends, colleagues onsite or globally dispersed
Covers those directly (because of it) or indirectly (caught up in it) involved
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
4. The three key points
People employed in Disaster Response activities form a discrete population at specific risk of experiencing disabling Psychological conditions
Organisational processes;
increase risk to health and,
protect staff from disabling Psychological conditions
Cultural values, practices and structures play key roles in creating successful organisational processes that mitigate Psychological Distress
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
5. And the important sub-point
External experts (including Clinical Psychologists) are not very successful in enhancing organisational processes to protect staff and build resilience.
Internal staffing positions at high management levels dedicated to enhancing protective processes have the highest ROI and success in improving staff resilience and coping.
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
6. The key fascinating findings
No significant differences for clinical measures across location, role, type of environment, age, gender
Risk prevalence for Trauma and associated conditions ranged from 10 50% (lower = European, higher = non-European)
Prevalence of actual clinical conditions are significantly less than comparative general populations
Across all demographics Social Support is positively linked to lower risk and clinical conditions
Flipping the figures shows majority of employees are generally coping reasonably well.
The evidence shows that Organisational factors comprise over 60% of stressors
Cultural realities raise serious questions about the reliability and validity of much Psychological Trauma data as it relates to non-European populations.
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
7. My work over the past 20 years
Identifying the nature of distress experienced by disaster response personnel
Identifying protective factors that keep personnel from experiencing disabling psychological consequences
Creating organisational strategies/structures/processes/frameworks that address consequences of disabling exposure and enhance coping/resilience
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
8. Underpinned by Social Support
Subjects with compromised social support are:
4 times as likely to be experiencing traumatisation
3 times as likely to be experiencing some form of unwellness
2.4 times as likely to be experiencing some form of acute anxiety;
2.5 times as likely to be experiencing some kind of physical illness
Ref: Fawcett, J, Stress and Trauma Handbook (2003), World Vision Publications pp118-119
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
9. If Social Support is Protective then..
Then there is a high potential ROI where organisations build social support processes into operational practices.
This does not exclude treatment options for those who are impacted by events, environment or organisational factors
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
10. Practice Model built on two primary principles
Principle 1
Most people employed in Disaster Response activities do not experience disabling levels of clinical Psychological conditions.
(2 13% PTSD)
Rather, most experience high but normal (and unsurprising) response to complex, distressing events and environments
(15 25% Depression, anxiety)
ref: www.headington-institute.org
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
11. Practice Model built on two primary principles (cont)
Principle 2
All cultures have sophisticated mechanisms that;
Enhance resilience
Build coping ability
Transmit hardiness
Promote hope
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
12. Principles to Practice
Invite the local culture to;
Define distress/pain/suffering
Identify existing factors that cause this pain
Identify existing/past/present mechanisms that manage, mitigate, heal this pain
Identify gaps between the present types and levels of distress and existing (and presently accessible) mechanisms (resources, processes) that mitigate pain and enhance healing
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
13. So what did we do? In Haiti
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
14. HaitiTi kozebyentA little chat about Wellness
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
15. In Christchurch
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
16. Extremely flexible working conditions
EAP Counsellors to each site office
Wide brief for interventions
Employees encouraged to do what is needed
Leader/managers provided direct support
All employee social networks covered by EAP brief anywhere in the city
All incoming/outgoing employees covered
Shared space/resources
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
17. How Culture impacts Organisational Protective Practices
All organisations have distinct cultures
Organisations exist within broader local cultures
Organisational culture varies by location
Despite Western business models there is no real distance between internal organisational culture and external social, family, kinship cultures
Only cultures that have strong values of compassion will succeed in protecting employees and family members
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
18. Building Resilience in Organisations
Western Organisational culture is generally resistant to incorporating the value of compassion into operational practice
Where the value underpinning staff support programmes is OSH rather than compassion these process can be experienced as an enforcement rather than care
External consultants/experts hardly ever change organisational culture
Changing organisational culture from the inside is lifetimes work
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
19. Who has the highest resilience?
Haitians or Cantabrians?
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments
20. References
Eriksson, C., Larson, L, Fawcett, J. & Foy, D (2005, June). Social and Organizational, Support, Depression, and PTSD in International Humanitarian Aid Workers. Paper presented at the 9th meeting of the European Conference on Traumatic Stress, Stockholm, Sweden
Cardozo, B. L., & Salama, P. (2002). Mental health of humanitarian aid workers in complex emergencies. In Y. Danieli(Ed.), Sharing the front line and the back hills: Peacekeepers, humanitarian aid workers and the media in the midst of crisis. Amityville, NY: Baywood
Eriksson, C. B., Bjorck, J. P., Larson, L. C., Walling, S. M., Trice, G. A., Fawcett, J., et al. (2009). Social support, organisational support, and religious support in relation to burnout in expatriate humanitarian aid workers. [Article]. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 12(7), 671-686. doi: 10.1080/13674670903029146
Fawcett, J. (2003) Stress and Trauma Handbook. World Vision International
Ehrenreich, J. (2005) The Humanitarian Companion: A Guide for International Aid, Development and Human Rights Workers. Practical Action
John FawcettBuilding Resilience in Complex Environments