Assessing models of research utilisation for emergency management practice

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