Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Crisis organization'

Organizations are in today’s business society faced with an increasing number of crises. The knowledge about how to manage a crisis has become an important tool for competitive advantage. The question is no longer if or when an organization will experience a crisis, but rather in what form and how prepared it is when a crisis actually occurs.

The many networks of today’s business society make organizations even more vulnerable to the possibility of indirectly being affected by a crisis. This paper focuses on the banking industry as banks form an important part of many business networks. Furthermore, focus is put on the immediate form of a crisis and specifically robberies. The immediate crisis reflects the importance for an organization to be prepared as the immediate crisis by its nature gives little or no warning, following that it is more difficult to prevent these types of crises. The banking industry is often discussed in terms of stability and security whereas the crisis brings instability and uncertainty and challenges the organization’s structure.

The purpose of this thesis is to understand how and why crisis management concerning robberies is implemented within a bank organization. This paper looks into the current theories discussed in the literature and the field of crisis management, the authors have chosen a qualitative approach and have performed a number of interviews, both with internal and external parties.

Through the research performed the conclusion was drawn that the bank organization is very professional in their handling of crisis management concerning robberies. The bank has identified the importance of having a well prepared plan as a crisis situation such as robbery occur and the policies on crisis management concerning robberies has, for an extensive time period, continuously been processed and developed. The policies developed include all aspects of a crisis, both educational program in the Pre-crisis stage, aspects to consider and how to act when a robbery occurs, and also how the organization responds in the Post-crisis stage. The bank organization has in their approach chosen to a great extent to handle the work with crisis management internally. It was concluded that, since the bank organization has, during an extensive period of time, identified the risk of being robbed as a constantly relevant issue, the policies has been processed and developed repeatedly to cover all aspects of a crisis. The implementation of the policies is in the Pre-crisis and Crisis stage performed without any flexibility as they are explicit in their design and covers every aspect of a crisis. Contrary, the implementation in the Post-crisis stage has a more flexible approach as the Crisis group is working with people that experiences a situation of trauma. It is acknowledged that the bank organization is following the different stages of crisis in their policies, dividing the responsibility of the implementation of crisis management in each and every stage.

In this study the researcher provides a behavioral framework for managing massive airline flight disruptions (MAFD) in the United States. Under conditions of MAFD, multiple flights are disrupted throughout the airline's route network, customer service is negatively affected, additional costs are created for airlines, and governments intervene. This study is different from other studies relating to MAFD that have focused on the operational, technical, economic, financial, and customer service impacts. The researcher argues that airlines could improve the management of events that led to MAFD by applying the principles of crisis management where the entire organization is mobilized, rather than one department, adapting organization development (OD) interventions to implement change and organization learning (OL) processes to create culture of innovation, resulting in sustainable improvement in customer service, cost reductions, and mitigation of government intervention. At the intersection of crisis management, OD, and OL, the researcher has developed a new conceptual framework that enhances the resiliency of individuals and organizations in responding to unexpected-yet-recurring crises (e.g., MAFD) that impact operations. The researcher has adapted and augmented Lalonde's framework for managing crises through OD interventions by including OL processes. The OD interventions, coupled with OL, provide a framework for airline leaders to manage more effectively events that result in MAFD with the goal of improving passenger satisfaction, reducing costs, and preventing further government intervention. Further research is warranted to apply this conceptual framework to unexpected-yet-recurring crises that affect operations in other industries.

Bakgrund och problemdiskussion: I dagens samhälle är det inte längre frågan om en organisation kommer drabbas av kris, utan frågan är snarare när och hur väl förberedd organisationen är för att kunna hantera den. Tsunamin som inträffade annandag jul 2004 var en kris av tidigare sällan skådat slag, den drabbade det svenska samhället i allmänhet och resebranschen i synnerhet. Resebranschen är starkt omvärldsberoende och dess aktörer kan aldrig vara tillräckligt väl förberedda på en kris. För att stå bättre rustad inför kommande kriser, bör organisationer efter en kris eftersträva att dra lärdomar av sina erfarenheter.

Problemformuleringen för denna uppsats lyder: Hur kan researrangörer förbättra sin organisatoriska kompetens utifrån sina erfarenheter av en kris?

Syftet med uppsatsen är:

• Att kartlägga researrangörernas arbete med crisis management och vilka delar av detta arbete som har förändrats efter Tsunamikatastrofen.
• Att identifiera och jämföra de olika lärdomar researrangörerna dragit till följd av Tsunamin.
• Att diskutera och ge förslag till hur lärandet av kriser kan tillvaratas och leda till förändringar, t.ex. i form av förbättrade rutiner i krisberedskapen och höjd kompetens i organisationerna.

Metod: För vår studie har vi använt en kvalitativ forskningsansats, vårt angreppssätt är deduktivt och vi har utfört semi-strukturerade intervjuer för insamlingen av vårt empiriska material. Intervjuerna tog sin utgångspunkt i vår undersökningsmodell som påvisar hur krisförloppets faser - före, under och efter – påverkar den organisatoriska kompetensen. Urvalet av studieföretag består av researrangörerna Ving och Fritidsresor.

I vår empiri kartläggs hur researrangörerna idag arbetar med crisis management och vilka delar av arbetet som förändrats efter Tsunamin. I analysen ser vi att researrangörernas krisberedskapsarbete till stora delar överensstämmer med teorierna inom området, men hur lärprocesserna skiljer sig något åt organisationerna emellan.

Resultat och slutsatser av vår studie är att lärprocesser redan under krisen inleddes hos researrangörerna. Genom att åtgärda de brister som upptäcktes under Tsunamin har nya rutiner, system och arbetssätt inom vissa områden lett till förbättringar i krisberedskapen. Båda organisationerna har dragit lärdomar av det som hänt, men fokus på förändringsarbetet har för Ving legat på strukturkapital och för Fritidsresor på humankapital. Båda studieföretagen har infört krisövningar, men inte genomgående på alla nivåer. Det är först vid nästa storskaliga kris som det kommer att visa sig huruvida den organisatoriska kompetensen har ökat.

Background and rationale: In the world we live in today the question is no longer ’if’ an organization will face a crisis, but ’when’ and ’how prepared’ is the organization to deal with it. The Tsunami that happened on December 26th 2004 was a disaster of unprecedented magnitude. It had an impact on the Swedish society in general and the travel industry in particular. As the travel industry is very susceptible to impacts by external factor, its participants can never be too prepared to face a crisis. In order to be better prepared for future crisis, organizations should seek to learn from their experiences.

The research question for this dissertation is: How can tour-operators improve their organizational competence by using experiences from a crisis?

The aim of the dissertation is:

• To map the tour-operators’ crisis management work, and which parts of this work has changed as a result of the Tsunami.
• To identify and compare the differences in the lessons learned by the tour-operators from the Tsunami.
• To discuss and give recommendations on how experiences from crises can be used and lead to change, i.e. in better crisis management routines and higher organizational competence

Methodology: We have used a qualitative research method in our dissertation, our approach is deductive and for the gathering of empirical data, we have made semi-structured interviews. Our research model has been the base for the interviews. Our model shows how the different phases of a crisis – before, during and after – influence organizational competence. The selected companies for our research are the tour-operators Ving and Fritidsresor.

In our field study we map how the crisis management of the tour-operators is functioning today, and which parts of this work has changed as a result of the Tsunami. In our analysis we see that the tour-operators crisis management work in large parts coincides with the theories in the area, but there are differences in the learning processes of the organizations.

Results and conclusions drawn from our research are that the learning processes of the tour-operators already start during the crisis. By addressing the deficiencies observed during the Tsunami, new routines, systems and work processes have improved their preparedness for crisis. Both organizations have learned, but the focus at Ving has been on structural capital and at Fritidsresor on human capital. Both have introduced crisis rehearsals, but not throughout the whole organization. Whether the organizational competence to handle a big crisis has improved will be seen as the next large crisis occurs.

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The ability to deal with change gains in importance due to the fast moving environment. The current crisis reveals that it is not sufficient for companies to react. They need to be prepared and implement change continuously. The significance of Change Management is justified as the competence to deal with change can be considered decisive for gaining competitive advantage. Organizations need to change in order to sustain.

Several theories and concepts exist to increase an organization's efficiency in terms of handling changes. The theoretical framework is settled on four issues within Change Management: change, drivers for change, implementation and roles in an organization. It is of prior importance to identify the nature of the specific change as well as the driving forces for it.

By this, information for the implementation process is provided. We present strategies for implementing and also steps or ingredients which have to be unconditionally considered. We try to point out some facilitators for implementation such as organizational learning.

We finally describe four key roles that are  influencing implementation of change. However, we especially focus on leaders and employees and compare top-down and bottom-up implementation.

We proceed with the same basis of four parts to analyze the discussions we led with change agents.

Finally we propose key factors we believe that organizations need to lead a change process successfully.

Researchers and practitioners continue to study the causes of high consequence failures in complex socio-technical systems. Often linear causal pathways are identified in investigations that blame individual human error, or technical malfunctions. This study represents a significant expansion in the analysis of high profile accidents, crimes, crises, and tragedies to accommodate system complexity. Presented is a model of socio-technical system wholeness that provides an integral framework with which socio-technical system deficiencies are analyzed. The research questions if lack of systemic wholeness is the cause for selected high profile events.

This case study used historical documents pertaining to 13 actual events that included espionage, high consequence accidents, mass killings, and the response to natural disasters. The documentation included government commission reports and previously recorded interviews. A hermeneutic analysis method guided the iterative development of deficiency codes. These codes were assigned to key statements in the documentation that described the varied deficiencies. The qualitative analysis software, Atlas.ti aided in the coding of approximately 5,000 of pages of documentation. Deficiency codes were then organized and the highest frequency codes are listed and are also shown graphically on the integral model, to reveal characteristic patterns.

In all of the cases, significant deficiencies are shown in all dimensions of the integral wholeness model. Deficiencies are described as systemic holes and shadow aspects. Holes and shadow aspects form patterns within and among cases, spanning the various subject areas. Systemic boundaries pertaining to each case are also described using the wholeness model. In several of the cases, multiple systems are shown with systemic links. Deficiencies in the links were also identified from the data and are presented.

The dynamic process of movement towards socio-technical systems wholeness is perpetual. It is also essential when the consequence of socio-technical systems failure threatens individuals, communities or the natural environment. The research shows the need for constant vigilance and attention to holes in protective defenses, and reconciliation with shadow aspects to avert systemic failure. This research has a broad span. Additional research opportunities include using this wholeness model for in-depth analysis of single socio-technical system prior to failure

Confidential

Title: Crisis communication strategy and brand – A case study of Swedish Red Cross

through dialog analysis

Author: Anneli Saarela

Presented: 01.06.2010

Purpose: The study addresses the subjects of crisis communication and organisational brand, in relation to stakeholders and brand reputation. The purpose of this essay is to study the dialog regarding the crisis of remunerations with the Swedish Red Cross and how the organisation responds to the criticism. An identification and analysis of the discourse regarding the brand are also included in the study. Part of the empirical material will also be used in relation to Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT). This to find which strategy is most accurate to the one which the Swedish Red Cross seemingly has implemented.

Methodology: The study uses dialog analysis to gather the empirical material. The dialog of interest for this study consists of four different written texts. These texts are analysed with the help of concepts such as: content, context, intertextuality, recontextualisation and relation. Further, through these concepts the study uses a series of initial questions to start the analysis with regard to the concepts.

Theoretical perspectives: The theoretical base for this essay consists of relevant theories to crisis management and branding. These are Situational Crisis Communication Theory, crisis communication and rhetoric as well as ideas regarding identity, stakeholders and reputation. I have used these as tools in my analysis as well as to understand the concept regarding crisis and the effects on an organisation, the brand and stakeholder relationships.

Conclusions: The results show that the texts in the dialog are influenced by earlier texts to a great extent. Interesting enough the stakeholders hold the board members responsible and not the whole organisation itself. This may be because the reporting has been mainly focused on the individuals and their remunerations in the earlier stages of the crisis. In regards to rebuilding the trust and organisational brand the analysis show that the organisation should make changes regarding the members of the board, as it is those who are strongly attributed to the crisis by the interest groups. The analysis in relation to SCCT show that the Swedish Red Cross chose a strategy involving less responsibility than SCCT would have proposed. Although regarding the bolstering strategies the organisation did as SCCT would suggest and put emphasis on the earlier work the organisation has done and took advantage of its strong reputation.

Keywords: SCCT, crisis communication, brand, organisation, stakeholder