Investigating the Effect of Public Participation on Crisis Management Performance

Background and Objectives: In todays changing environmental conditions, nations and organizations have to face with different crisis. Identifying factors affecting the success of crisis management activities will be helpful. Among affecting factors, public participation is one that can affect the success of crisis performance and its research aims to investigate it. Method: This applied research was conducted in descriptive (survey) method. Statistical population is consist of University of Zanjan’s staff and students as well as their contacts in social media networks. For data collection, questionnaire was used which its content validity and reliability (by using Alpha Cronbach test) was validated. The questionnaires were distributed electronically and total of 295 questionnaires were collected. Data analysis performed by using SPSS and path analysis with AMOS Results: Findings show that there is a significant correlation between public participation and crisis management performance. Public participation has also a positive direct impact on crisis management performance.  In addition, the effect of cognitive participation on practical participation was significant. The impact of pre-crisis performance on post-crisis performance was also significant. However, the effect of cognitive participation on any dimension of crisis management performance was not significant. Finally. The effect of practical participation on post-crisis performance was significant. Conclusion: One of the most important factors that can help the success of crisis management performance is public participation. Through information transition and increasing the public awareness via mass and social media it is possible to effect cognitive and practical of people participation. With pre-crisis activities (informing and preparing) it is possible to improve post-crisis performance.