Facilitators and barriers in local emergency knowledge management: Communities of practice in inter-organizational partnerships

A marked increase in crises, uncertainties and perceived risks has impelled the government of Norway to reconsider its contingency plans and devolve its emergency management capacity to local authorities. It has become imperative that any effective emergency management require collaborative effort at the local level, with municipalities sharing strategic resources, including knowledge repositories. The municipalities' lack of necessary resources to provide emergency management services, as required of them by law, compel them to seek ways of cooperation and coordination with other municipalities in their proximity. Municipalities have come to a realization that efficiency in anticipating and handling crises is dependent on the way they collaborate with each other. To remain prepared municipalities must share the knowledge needed to plan, anticipate and handle emergencies. Participating municipalities are obliged to establish knowledge-sharing strategies in order to promote interactions between crisis management practitioners. This paper examines the emergence of communities of practice in a crisis management inter-organizational partnership in a county in Norway. The paper identifies factors that advance or inhibit knowledge sharing process in this partnership.