Assessing models of research utilization for emergency management practice

In Australian and New Zealand emergency management organizations, using research to inform practice has been increasing. However, models to inform utilization remain untested. This paper assesses two models of research utilization to inform the practice of emergency managers. These are the science-push/demand-pull model and a socially interactive organizational model. The paper discusses findings from a 2018 survey that was used to investigate the perceived effectiveness of research utilization. The findings show that both models are positively associated with implementation of research utilization and perceived organizational learning. However, the socially interactive organizational model was a better fit to predict these indicators. Of the social interaction variables, conversations and communities-of-practice were positively associated with utilization. The findings show that more work is needed to understand the organizational conditions that facilitate successful implementation of research outcomes.