Understanding organizational aspects for managing crisis situations

Abstract

Purpose The uncertainty of the current economic environment increases the risk of organizational failure. The traditional approach intends the crisis as a phenomenon that can be managed according to some predetermined and well-defined procedures. Although this traditional approach emphasizes on the technical dimension, it does not take into account the organizational dimension, which instead plays a crucial role in the circumstances of today’s crisis. The purpose of this paper is to investigate which are the most effective organizational practices able to promote an adequate culture prevent or manage effectively crisis situations. Design/methodology/approach A group of Italian military and civil opinion leaders took part in the study. Authors hypothesized that the military organizations, being defined as “High Reliability Organization,” have organizational characteristics that allow them to manage crisis situations more effectively, and, for this reason, they can be taken as a reference by civil organizations. Findings The results show noticeable differences about organizational attributes concerning the two organizations. According to the results, military organization has the most appropriate organizational dimensions to prevent and manage the crisis situations. Practical implications Based on the results, military organization is suggested to be taken as an example by civil organizations in the process of organizational change necessary to obtain reliable performance. Originality/value The originality of this paper lies in the empirical and theoretical framework provided to analyze risk and crisis management, based on the comparison between military and civil organizations. The paper aims to be a starting point from which a positive process of cultural osmosis between the two organizations can be promoted.