Crisis-as-practice: Conceptualizing the role of everyday work practices in crisis management
Abstract as pdf
Corresponding Author:
Olof Oscarsson
Mid Sweden University Sweden
olof.oscarsson@miun.se
Author(s):
Although research on organizational crisis management is vast, it is sometimes insubstantial, particularly when it comes to understanding how an organization's routine practices are utilized in crisis management. This article presents a conceptual framework of crisis-as-practice as a complement to the “traditional” event and process approaches in crisis management research. By turning to practice theory, it is possible to emphasise the importance of apprehending crisis management as an accomplishment shaped by socially shared practices routinely performed in organizations. The article outlines a framework based on two theoretical constructs: (1) the three-element model of practice and (2) the distinction between integrative and dispersed practices that together can bring forward crisis management capabilities that are generally invisible in other research but which nonetheless have great value for people and organizations in the resolution of crises. The article concludes with a discussion of how the practice-based framework can widen the understanding of what crisis management is, who is viewed as a crisis manager, what crisis managers do, and what can be revealed through an analysis of crisis managers and their practices.
On the Epistemology of Crises and Disasters