Crisis planning: Survey results from Hurricane Katrina and implications for performance improvement professionals

Abstract

Modern organizations constantly face unparalleled changes and uncertainty in the competitive world, thus requiring strategic planning to mitigate crisis conditions. Underscoring crisis plans are performance interventions that prepare employees, technological systems, and the organizational culture to effectively respond to a crisis event. However, crisis planning has been an overlooked area in the performance improvement literature. In the present study, we review results of a survey on crisis planning conducted by the research team seven months after Hurricane Katrina. Specifically, performance improvement professionals (n=129) employed by organizations located along the western Gulf Coast were surveyed on the existence and composition of their organization's crisis planning before and after Hurricane Katrina. Results indicate that organizations did increase crisis planning during the post‐Katrina period, and that crisis plans consisted of components and activities supported in the literature. We use these results to identify and discuss how performance improvement professionals might leverage their knowledge of human performance technology (HPT) in supporting organizational crisis planning efforts.

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

“…The role of crisis management teams in crisis planning were also identified by 56% of the respondents in a separate survey on crisis management preparation (American Management Association, 2005). The results of these surveys and our content review of numerous empirical and conceptual studies (see Hutchins, Annulis & Gaudet, 2008, for a full review) reveal that crisis communication, crisis management teams, training, and BCPs are critical components in crisis planning. Although these components are discussed in other articles included in this issue, a brief overview of each component is provided here to build an initial understanding.…”

Changing professional demands in sustainable regional development: a curriculum design process to meet transboundary competence

“…Research on the role of professionals (Hutchins et al, 2008) during the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005 showed the necessity of role change in water management. The Katrina storm surge caused most (2/3) breaches in human designed levees, flooding 'safely', water-managed residential areas (ASCE, 2007).…”

Olympic Sport Organisations in Times of Crisis and Change

“…In any case, if any crises should occur again, then the NOC should supervise that they are han dled appropriately. Hutchins et al (2008) state that this phase requires the NOC to engage in critical reflection on the crisis experience. The NOC should analyse the crisis impact on central and ancillary system processes, and then adapt behaviours and systems to improve crisis management practices.…”