EFFECTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT, INTERNAL STRUCTURE, AND TEAM CLIMATE ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LOCAL EMERGENCY PLANNING COMMITTEES

This study proposed and tested a model of factors influencing the effe ctiveness of Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs). Data were co llected from the chairs of Michigan LEPCs, who were asked to provide i nformation about their LEPCs' staffing, activities, resources, and tea m climate, as well as information about community hazards and relation ships with other organizations in their communities. The model was par tially supported. As hypothesized, team climate substantially mediated the relationships between an LEPC's effectiveness and many of the att ributes of its internal structure and external environment. In additio n, three (emergency planning resources, community support and LEPC sta ffing and structure) out of four categories of variables hypothesized to influence team climate were, in fact directly related to it. There were two major inconsistencies with the model. First, two types of eme rgency planning resources were found to have a direct influence on LEP C effectiveness rather than an indirect effect mediated by team climat e. In addition, hazard vulnerability was hypothesized to have a direct effect on team climate, but the data showed this relationship was med iated by community support and by LEPC staffing and structure. A revis ed model was proposed that suggests ways in which members can change t he structure of an LEPC and strategies to enhance its effectiveness.