Development Needs of Finnish Incident Management and Leadership in the Future Operating Environment

Abstract

This study examines the development needs of Finland’s incident management and leadership systems in a changing security environment under normal legislative conditions. The future will require preparedness for increasingly complex and unpredictable incidents. This transformation requires a reassessment of the leadership system and the search for new solutions.  The Finnish incident management and leadership management system is based on the principle of comprehensive security, in which public authorities and the private sector jointly safeguard vital functions. Legislation and the rule of law are key considerations in evaluating the management system. International organizations, such as NATO and NORDEFCO, significantly influence Finland’s incident management system. From the perspective of comprehensive security, NATO is not merely a military alliance. The complexity of the security environment demands flexibility, cooperation, and resilience from the management system. The theoretical framework of the study is based on complexity leadership theory and systems theory. The empirical data consists of 18 expert interviews, analyzed using inductive content analysis. Based on the analysis, three main themes were found: preparedness of the management system for future challenges, legislative requirements for management system development, and the need for improvements in incident management from the perspective of leadership responsibility. The findings indicate that leadership responsibilities and legislation require clarification, and international cooperation structures should be more effectively integrated into the national system. Additionally, the roles of municipalities and the private sector need further specification. In the future, society must decide which interests should be secured and where the focus of preparedness should lie in the development and management of the management system.