System, Structures and Processes in Evaluation of Civil Protection Exercises

Abstract

Civil protection exercises are activities that simulate real-life emergencies, where participants can practice, review, and test the exercise system, and its structures and processes. The Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) exercises all require systematic evaluation. This article applies the framework of systems theory to the practical evaluation of civil protection exercises with the research question (RQ): how does systems theory apply to the evaluation practices of civil protection exercises? The method of this study combines a descriptive literature review, Delphi workshops, and analysis of expert interview transcripts on the approaches behind the concepts which are then examined in the context of the evaluation of civil protection exercises. Organizational structures of exercise systems outline 'what' direct the activities that achieve the goals of the exercise. Structures are the combinations of relations between the organizational elements that form organizational activities, and may include rules, roles, methods, technologies, applications, and responsibilities of the exercise participants. Organizational processes of an exercise include the activities that establish the goals of the exercise. In an exercise evaluation context, processes focus on how operations and human interactions are carried out by the people who realize and manage the scenarios of the exercise. This three-dimensional approach can help address the complex interplay of factors within civil protection exercises. The contribution of this study is that it clarifies the theoretical background of literature on systems theory, organizational structures, and processes as they relate to the evaluation of civil protection exercises, which can have a practical contribution to the training of exercise evaluators.