Production of event security in Germany – empirical findings on perceptions of interorganisational collaboration between various security actors
International Journal of Event and Festival Management
ISSN: 1758-2954
Article publication date: 5 August 2022
Issue publication date: 27 September 2022
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore interorganisational collaboration on event security in Germany. Therefore, it focusses on perceptions of representatives from emergency and law enforcement agencies (ELEAs) as well as commercial event stewards and security providers (ESSPs) who work together in the area. The following questions are addressed in this paper: how do the actors perceive inter-organisational collaboration on event security? In these actors' view, what factors define collaboration?
Design/methodology/approach
For this study, a literature review was carried out on success-critical factors of inter-organisational collaboration at security-related settings. The results have been grouped into categories, which are assigned to sociotechnical core elements. These are the basis of a qualitative content analysis of 47 semi-structured interviews with ELEA and ESSP representatives in the context of 15 major events in Germany.
Findings
The findings support the assumption that interorganisational collaboration on event security theoretically and in the perception of on-site experts emerges as a sociotechnical system within the setting of major events. Successful collaboration is determined by human, technical and organisational factors, which interconnect the collaborating actors and ideally stabilise their work relations.
Originality/value
This article contributes to the literature regarding event and security research. The results provide insights into hitherto under-represented perspectives of stakeholders on collaboration in event security. The sociotechnical category system adds an approach for the systematic analysis of interorganisational security production.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Frank Fiedrich and Sylvia Bach for their comments on earlier versions of this paper.
Citation
Schütte, P.M. and Willmes, S.U. (2022), "Production of event security in Germany – empirical findings on perceptions of interorganisational collaboration between various security actors", International Journal of Event and Festival Management, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 457-471. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-11-2021-0092
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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