Transformational Leadership and Team Performance in Forest Fires Disaster Management (Case in Wonosobo Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia)

概要

[Objective]
　Several regencies and cities in Indonesia are reluctant to be involved in forest fire disaster management. This reluctance stems from the Disaster Management Law No. 24, introduced in 2007, and Local Government Law No. 23, introduced in 2014. These laws do not clearly explain regencies and cities' authority in forest fire disaster management, which provoke deforestation worsening in Indonesia. However, Wonosobo Regency, with full awareness, is willing to be involved in forest fire fighting. The agency handling disaster management, BPBD, in Wonosobo Regency, displays efforts and willingness to overcome forest fires promptly even though it is not well equipped with sufficient human resources and infrastructure. Although other regencies and cities are reluctant to be involved in forest fire management, due to the obscurities in the above-mentioned law, the leader in BPBD of Wonosobo Regency influences the staff and the affiliated volunteers to perform optimally in such cases. Thus, he is considered as a transformational leader.

[Method]
　This qualitative research examines the role of a transformational leader in disaster management and how the individual guides the staff and the volunteers as well as optimizes existing technology to work efficiently towards problem-solving to perform as a team through team processes—the data incorporates both primary and secondary data. The primary data involves 20 informants from BPBD- including the Head of Executor of BPBD, two informants from related agencies that often collaborate in program planning and human resource affairs, and an informant from affiliated volunteers. The research also covered additional primary data of two informants from the Directorate Disaster Mitigation and Fires Ministry of Home Affairs. This study implemented data triangulation to perform data validity.

[Results]
　The results discovered that the transformational leader in BPBD works with awareness when dealing with disaster affairs. The Head of Executor of BPBDs' characteristics are responsive, firm, intelligent, religious, and detailed with a successful influence on the team. He also pushes the staff to work responsibly, that is he trusts the staff with their duties. However, this trust is developed through placing the right person by considering their skill and background of the education. In terms of forest fires, the staff paid attention to the effect of the disaster as they believed that it can potentially cause another disaster in their living and workplace, Wonosobo Regency.

[Conclusion]
　The Head of Executor of BPBD considers the agency to be a close-knit family, so as to create a sound kinship among the staff to commit to the organization. While there is a lack of personnel in BPBD, the transformational leader makes it a point to encourage and increase the skill of the staff and affiliated volunteer as well as optimize existing technology towards efficient problem solving. With BPBD as an example, these characteristics of a disaster management agency should be considered by the policymakers to create a standardization of leadership in disaster management affairs.