Nicol Notes

Book 3: Consulting in Catastrophe—a book that gets more personal as the author explores the role of technical advisors generally and his own in particular, providing a bridge between the internal operations of BRR to which technical advisors contributed and the external role of international community from which most advisors came

14. The Hidden Glue—this chapter sets the scene by looking generally at the crucial role of consultants in underpinning recovery with specific reference to contributions from and challenges in dealing with large firms like McKinsey & Company, IBM, Accenture, Ernst & Young, Royal Haskoning and individuals from Germany, Japan and the United Nations
 

15. A Spanner in the Works—this chapter begins the more personal side of the story with an overview of the author’s challenging role as senior advisor to the Indonesian Government for tsunami recovery

16. Keeping Up with the Boss—this chapter begins to unpack some of the more specific aspects of a senior advisor’s role by looking at what it was like to travel, represent and work with an Indonesian Government minister

17. Ring of Fire—this chapter explores the author’s role in creating a protective fence between his minister as he sought to engage with productive people and shut out carpetbaggers and their like

18. Stepping on Toes—this chapter takes us inside the Indonesian reconstruction agency to look at the author’s role in fighting corruption and battling incompetence
 

19. Seeds of Sourness—in this chapter we shift focus to the relationship between advisors and their international funders by outlining the Australian aid program through which the author was initially engaged and how tensions and misunderstandings gradually soured the relationship

20. Delirious Derision—this chapter tells of how the author’s relationship with the Australian aid program imploded and the contribution of a woeful report in The Australian that illustrates the wider impact on disaster recovery of ill-considered media reporting