Operationalizing ‘Deliverology’ for Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Risk Reduction: Accelerating Improvement in Delivery

During the period 2005–2014, the Asia-Pacific region had over 1600 reported disaster events resulting in approximately 500,000 fatalities and affecting over 1.4 billion people (UN ESCAP in Asia Pacific disaster report-2015: disasters without borders, 2015 [29, 30]). Economic costs stemming from these disasters were upwards of $500 billion. During 2015 alone, the Asia/Pacific region experienced close to half the world’s 344 disasters resulting in over 16,000 fatalities. Impact of these disasters in 2015 amassed to more than US$ 45.1 billion in economic damage (UN ESCAP in Disasters in the Asia and Pacific: 2015 year in review, 2015 [29, 30]). As noted in Weick and Sutcliffe [32: 1], ‘Unexpected events often audit our resilience’ and thereby challenge response and recovery activities. Black swan events are not the only mechanisms of destruction in Asia/Pacific region, such slow onset disasters as droughts, heat waves, forest fires and haze impact the safety and security of the region. Disasters stress the safety and security of the region, impinging on the already fragile disaster response capabilities and affecting the most vulnerable. The challenges associated with humanitarian assistance, disaster response and disaster risk reduction regionally and globally highlight the requirement for a more responsive and impactful ‘delivery’ model of aid. This chapter examines recent disasters and humanitarian aid efforts in the Asia/Pacific Region through the lens of the Sendai Framework and ‘Deliverology’. Deliverology is a ‘systematic process for driving progress and delivering results in government and the public sector’ [1]. The key principles of Deliverology, rooted in design thinking and reflective practices helps organizations (humanitarian aid) define and execute their highest-priority objectives so that they have the greatest possible impact. In so doing, the chapter walks the reader through ‘operationalizing deliverology and design’ to accelerate improvements in delivery of humanitarian aid in support of the ‘New Ways of Working (NWOW)’ [22]. Deliverology combined with design is more than a process model but is a mindset for truly impacting communities through disaster risk reduction.