Who can lead EMMA?

EMMAs can be led by those who have received EMMA training. The ideal EMMA leader should have:

• Market analysis or market development experience: A goal of the EMMA toolkit and training is to enable those without market-oriented skills successfully participate in or lead an EMMA. However, experience with markets and value-chain analysis is very valuable for the EMMA leadership position. Market skills are especially useful for choosing the key analytical questions, guiding data collection and during the market and response analyses steps.

• Team leadership experience: The ability to manage people in the fluid and stressful post sudden-onset emergency environment is critical. Even for a small EMMA team, the leader needs to be able to explain complex concepts, get team members and stakeholders on board with the concepts of EMMA, narrow down the fieldwork, develop questionnaires and data collection methodologies, deal with challenging operational issues, delegate duties, rely on the judgment and opinions of other and provide strong leadership.

• Analytical, timely decision-making skills. The EMMA leader must be able to make quick decisions, be able to confidently and definitively decide when things are ‘good enough, and be able to dispose of irrelevant information.