Advances in Developing Human Resources current issue

What Does HRD Know About Organizational Crisis Management? Not Enough! Read on

Hutchins, H. M. — 2008-05-09

The problem and the solution. Organizational crises have become more complex, far-reaching, and prevalent in modern times. Disease outbreaks, investor fraud, terrorist acts, and natural disasters are but a few of the events that can morph into crisis events and have severe impacts on organization sustainability.This article introduces the area of organizational crisis management to the human resource development (HRD) community, discusses trends that contribute to organizational crisis being a relevant area for HRD inquiry, and previews the contributing perspectives included in this issue.

Organizational Crisis Management and Human Resource Development: A Review of the Literature and Implications to HRD Research and Practice

Hutchins, H. M., Jia Wang, — 2008-05-09

The problem and the solution. From the post-9/11 effect on financial and transportation industries to the corporate fraud scandals involving Enron and Tyco, organizational crises are a pervasive threat to organizational performance and sustainability.The authors' review of the literature suggests that although the impact of crises on organization effectiveness has been increasingly recognized, it has not attracted much attention from human resource development (HRD) scholars and practitioners. As a result, HRD has not considered how learning, change, and performance interventions might be used to support crisis management processes. The purpose of this article is to explore the role of HRD in organizational crisis management. Specifically, the authors review the theoretical underpinnings of organizational crisis management research, identify opportunities for HRD to be involved in crisis management processes, and explore how HRD research and practice may contribute to supporting organizations' crisis management efforts.

The Role of Human Resource Development Competencies in Facilitating Effective Crisis Communication

Reilly, A. H. — 2008-05-09

The problem and the solution. Effective crisis communication is one of the key components of effective crisis management, and this article describes key human resource development (HRD) competencies that facilitate crisis communication. Research from organization development, crisis management, and crisis communication is used to provide an integrated framework for studying crisis communication that emphasizes the role of HRD in coping with crises. A repertoire of techniques for crisis communication is provided, together with recommendations for companies seeking to enhance their firms' crisis management capacities through communication. Implications for HRD practice, theory, and research are provided.

Linking Crisis Management and Leadership Competencies: The Role of Human Resource Development

Wooten, L. P., James, E. H. — 2008-05-09

The problem and the solution. Most executives are aware of the negative consequences associated with an organizational crisis and focus on communications and public relations as a reactive strategy. However, many neglect the other leadership responsibilities associated with organizational crises.This may result from lack of formal training and on-the-job experiences that prepare executives to lead crises. Executives who enable their organizations to recover from a crisis exhibit a complex set of competencies in each of the five phases of a crisis—signal detection, preparation and prevention, damage control and containment, business recovery, and reflection and learning. In this article, through the use of qualitative research design and the analysis of firms in crises, we examine leadership competencies during each phase of a crisis. In addition, this article links the important role of human resource development to building organizational capabilities through crisis management activities.

The Role of HRD in Integrated Crisis Management: A Public Sector Approach

Rusaw, A. C., Rusaw, M. F. — 2008-05-09

The problem and the solution. This article examines the role that human resource development (HRD) plays in integrating crisis management systems in public sector organizations. We chose to examine the role of HRD in government organizations because public organizations play cross-sector roles in managing large-scale crises and because we have consulted in public organizations for more than 30 years. We reviewed more than 30 journal articles, books, and government studies and identified some possible conditions affecting the integration. As the review suggested that crises make organization adaptability imperative, we maintain that governments facing national man-made or natural disasters require flexible deployment of resources to attain strategic advantage. To explore further the role of HRD, we analyzed conditions in the Charlotte— Mecklenburg (North Carolina, United States) government that integrated HRD in crises management systems.We identified four emergent themes and compared them to crisis management literature to develop three hypotheses of how such integration occurs.We follow this with suggestions for future research and practice.

Using Scenarios to Develop Crisis Managers: Applications of Scenario Planning and Scenario-Based Training

Moats, J. B., Chermack, T. J., Dooley, L. M. — 2008-05-09

The problem and the solution. Since the events of September 11, 2001, and Hurricane Katrina during the summer of 2005, the words crisis and disaster evoke images of families stranded on causeways turned islands, surrounded by what little property they could carry; houses smashed by killing winds; and skyscrapers crumbling out of the sky. Disastrous events, such as fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, terrorist incidents, and chemical spills, cause the loss of resources, destruction of property, financial hardship, and death. During these events, local, state, and federal governments commit large numbers of resources, time, and money to mitigate the consequences of the disaster.To manage the response to these events, leaders of public safety organizations and agencies such as fire and police departments, emergency medical services, and health-care organizations, public works departments, private industry, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) descend on the disaster site.These leaders are required to make high consequence decisions with incomplete or inaccurate information, ill-defined goals, and the pressures of time and a constantly changing situation by drawing on their training and experience. This article positions scenario planning and scenario-based training as two cutting-edge methods for organizational leaders to understand better their environments so as to avoid disastrous events and to put in place efficient and effective plans for coping if disaster should strike.

Developing Organizational Learning Capacity in Crisis Management

Jia Wang, — 2008-05-09

The problem and the solution. The impact of crises on organizations and individuals has been stronger than ever. Despite increasing recognition of the effects of crisis events, most organizations are found not adequately prepared in managing crises. The increasingly frequent occurrence of organizational crises exemplifies the need for human resource development in preparing organizations and their members for crisis situations. However, very little effort has been made in this direction. Recognizing the dynamics and interconnectedness of crisis management, organizational learning, and organizational change, this article proposes an integrated model of organizational learning for crisis management that will likely strengthen organizational capacity and resilience in coping with crises and resultant changes.