Enhancing Risk Knowledge in Civil Society Organization Leadership: Case‐Based Evidence From China

ABSTRACT The escalating complexity of China's disaster risk landscape demands a new strategic leadership from civil society organizations (CSOs) to navigate systemic and cascading risks. While the national policies increasingly formalize the role of CSOs in disaster risk reduction (DRR), existing training provisions do not adequately develop the risk‐informed competencies required in practice. This study addresses this gap through (1) a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of national DRR policies to identify implicit expectations for CSO leadership, and (2) a comparative evaluation of four representative DRR training programs in China. Using a competency framework consisting of policy‐aligned, technically capable, and socially integrative leadership, this study reveals a systematic overemphasis on technical and compliance‐based components, alongside insufficient attention to risk knowledge, strategic foresight, systemic thinking, and collaborative capacities. Drawing on existing training practices and the KIDA (Knowledge‐Interest‐Desire‐Action) behavioral change framework, this study proposes a “DRR CSO Leadership Accelerator” that positions risk knowledge as the cognitive core linking all three competency domains. This study contributes to the discussions of DRR education for CSOs and offers a practical framework for developing leaders capable within China's evolving risk governance system. Its findings may also inform CSO capacity development in other state‐led or multi‐level governance contexts.