Xiao-Li Lu presented at the ISCRAM Summer School at Tilburg University on August 20, 2009. The presentation discussed her dissertation topic on managing uncertainty in crisis decision making and compared crisis responses between countries. It also outlined her research on new media use during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and her work as founding coordinator of the China Crisis Management Website, which serves as an information resource for crisis and disaster professionals.

1. Presentation in ISCRAM Summer School
@ Tilburg University, NL on Aug. 20, 2009
Managing Uncertainty in
Crisis Decision Making
g
XiaoLi Lu
Ph.D. Researcher @ Leiden University’s Crisis Research
Centre, The Netherlands
Founding Coordinator @ China Crisis Management Website
1

2. Outline
Dissertation topic
New media in crisis
Our China Crisis
Management Website
g
Xiao-Li LU: Managing uncertainty in crisis 2
lxlhit@gmail.com

3. Dissertation
• Uncertainty in crisis
• Different ways of coping with uncertainty
– Simplify; analogy; expertise dependence;
delegation; wait and see; denial and
downplay; normalization.
• Research Q
Question
– “why do decision makers adopt different
y p
mode(s) when facing uncertainty in crisis
decision making?”
g
Xiao-Li LU: Managing uncertainty in crisis 3
lxlhit@gmail.com

4. Dissertation (2)
• Psychology literature
• An institutional perspective
– Institutionalized or not:
•H i
Hurricane response b t
between Chi and US
China d
• Wildfire response between US and Australia
– Evacuation VS leave early or stay and defense
– strategy selection influenced by other
institutions, such as accountability system
i tit ti h t bilit t
• Blame gaming and accountability system =>
various strategy selection
Xiao-Li LU: Managing uncertainty in crisis 4
lxlhit@gmail.com

5. New media in 2008 Sichuan
Earthquake
• 5.12 questionnaire design
• Finish data collection at the end of May
• Snow-ball emails: 456 samples
• Internet based information communication
be a o
behavior in t es of catast op e
times o catastrophe
Xiao-Li LU: Managing uncertainty in crisis 5
lxlhit@gmail.com

6. China Crisis Management Website
• http://www.crisis119.org
• Team member
• Bridges
– [1] researchers across different disciplines,
– [2] researchers and practitioners in China,
[ ] p ,
– [3] domestic and abroad professionals,
– [4] junior and senior researchers
Xiao-Li LU: Managing uncertainty in crisis 6
lxlhit@gmail.com

7. What we do
• a resource center and information clearinghouse about
crisis and disaster management.
• d t b
databases
• Regular newsletter
• R i f d t support young researchers i di
Raise funds to t h in disaster
t
and crisis related areas.
• Searching friendly crisis and disaster encyclopedia
based on Dr. B. Wayne Blanchard’s collection.
Xiao-Li LU: Managing uncertainty in crisis 7
lxlhit@gmail.com

8. • Thank you for your time!
• If you are interested in these please
these,
discuss with me in the following days or
email me via
• LXLHIT@GMAIL.COM
Xiao-Li LU: Managing uncertainty in crisis 8
lxlhit@gmail.com