HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS

							HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS
By Luk Van Wassenhove, Director of INSEAD Humanitarian Operations Research Group and
Rolando Tomasini, Program Manager Humanitarian Research Group, INSEAD Social Innovation Centre




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Established in 2001, the Humanitarian Research Group’s objective is to develop a science
of humanitarian logistics which facilitates cross-learning between private companies and
humanitarian organizations (www.insead.edu/humanitarian). We do so by focusing on
disaster preparedness, response coordination, stakeholder collaboration (corporate social
responsibility), fleet management, and access to healthcare.




24   HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS
Research and Case Studies                                           Teaching
Close collaboration with practitioners and the private              In addition to the book we have also been working on
sector has enabled us to produce a unique set of materials          teaching programs. In 2007 we launched our first executive
capturing the complexity and evolution of issues affecting          education program, Management in the Humanitarian Sector
the humanitarian sector. To date, we produced over 30               (MHS). This program was designed based on our research and
case studies, articles and reports with the support of              extensive consultations with managers in the humanitarian
humanitarian organizations like the United Nations Joint            sector. The program targets humanitarian sector managers,
Logistics Center, the World Food Program, the International         with 10-15 years field experience and now in decision-making
Federation of the Red Cross, World Vision, Oxfam, North Star        roles, private sector executives seeking to engage with the
Foundation, Global Impact, and Doctors Without Borders;             humanitarian sector, the military, the media, donors and
as well as private companies like TNT, Agility, DHL, AXA,           other actors of the humanitarian ecosystem. Over five days
GlaxoSmithKline, Swiss Re, and Kjaer Group A/S among                the program addresses crucial management issues in finance,
others. A full list of cases with inspection copies is available    strategy, negotiations, leadership, supply chain logistics and
online at: www.ecch.com/humanitariancases.                          operations. These courses have been adapted to the needs of
                                                                    the sector and are supported by our case studies:
Most recently we have published a book on Humanitarian              (http://www.insead.edu/facultyresearch/centres/isic/
Logistics, available through Amazon.com. For more                   humanitarian/services/edp.cfm)
information on this book and a summary of the chapters at
www.insead.edu/humanitarialogistics.                                Humanitarian Research Group hosts various speakers and
                                                                    roundtables throughout the year. Please do not hesitate to
Chapters 1 and 2 define the link between logistics and               contact us directly if you would like to participate. We also
humanitarianism, two areas that we connect through our              welcome researchers interested in developing their theses
research and work with the agencies and companies. Chapter          and research projects.
1 presents key concepts from supply chain management that
we found most useful to understand and create parallels with
the humanitarian world. Chapter 2 introduces key concepts                ABOUT THE AUTHORS
from the humanitarian sector that defines the parameters in
which an emergency operation takes place.
                                                                      Professor Luk Van Wassenhove
Chapters 3 and 4 focus on the importance of working                   The Henry Ford Chaired Professor of Manufacturing and
between (preparedness) and during (coordination) disasters            Professor of Technology and Operations Management
to respond to the needs of the beneficiaries. Chapter 3                Director of INSEAD Humanitarian Operations Research Group.
serves to explain the aspects of preparedness that need to be
                                                                      Professor Van Wassenhove's research is concerned with
addressed to establish supply chain management as a core
                                                                      operational excellence, supply chain management,
function in humanitarian organizations. Chapter 4 discusses
                                                                      quality, continual improvement and learning. His recent
the challenge of coordinating a response through the
                                                                      research focus is on closed-loop supply chains and
different stages of a disaster without command and control
                                                                      n humanitarian logistics and disaster management.
or a profit incentive.
                                                                      Professor Van Wassenhove publishes extensively in various
                                                                      academic journals and is the author of many teaching case
Chapters 5 and 6 address two of the most crucial issues we
                                                                      studies. He also regularly consults for major international
encountered in our research: information and knowledge
                                                                      organizations.
management. Chapter 5 discusses how to prioritize the flow
of information to attain transparency and accountability,             luk.van-wassenhove@insead.edu
two very important factors to reduce politicization and
manipulation of aid and improve planning. Chapter 6                   Rolando Tomasini
explains how information can be turned into knowledge and             Research Programme Manager
integrated into organizations to improve their performance,
an important element in light of high staff turnover and              Rolando joined INSEAD in 2002 to help develop research
limited resources.                                                    in the area of disaster management. His work focuses
                                                                      on humanitarian relief operations (coordination and
Chapter 7 returns to the departure point to analyze the areas         preparedness), and the role of the private sector in
in which supply chain management in the humanitarian                  emergencies from the corporate social responsibility angle.
sector can be improved. This time around we examine cross-            Through his involvement with different humanitarian
learning opportunities between the humanitarian and                   organizations in the field and head offices, Rolando has
the private sector through public-private partnerships and            produced several case studies, articles, reports and lectures.
corporate social responsibility initiatives. The chapter explains     He is currently editing a book that compiles all his work
how these partnerships are designed keeping in mind the               (expected for 2008).
cultural differences between the two sectors and the need to          rolando.tomasini@insead.edu
make partnerships sustainable.




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