This doctoral thesis suggests a framework for how multi-organizational emergency response management can be understood. A method for collecting and analyzing data on individuals and their interactions has been developed and tested. The method is rooted in social network theory and facilitates further exploration of the complexity associated with responses to emergencies in which various resources from different segments of the society are engaged. Furthermore, in order to build a framework for understanding, the concepts of command and control, coordination, emergence, and trust are elucidated and related to empirical analyses. A synthesis of empirical analyses and literature studies is presented as a model to show how multi-organizational emergency response management can be better understood by studying interactions between individuals. Interactions are prerequisites for coordination of activities. Such activities can be both planned and emergent. Both the manifestation of an interaction and the actual coordination activity are influenced by normative ideals and interpersonal trust. The system designers and emergency response managers should acknowledge this complexity and develop strategies to harmonize the local adaptive behavior of a multi-organizational emergency response system.