Organizing in Times of Crisis: Strategies for Managing the Unexpected

 
 
Organizing in Times of Crisis:
The case of COVID-19
 
Organizing in and for the Unexpected
 
Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger
 
Chair for Organization Studies
University of Hamburg
 
What to Expect
 
Guidung question: How can organizations be designed to routinely
deal with the Unexpected?
 
Learn about:
Crisis unfold in different phases
 
Managing the tension between stability and flexibility in
responding to unexpected events
 
The role of routines, improvisation, and roles in managing the
Unexpected
 
Rules and Rule-breaking in addressing unexpected events
 
 
From Crisis prevention to Managing the Unexpected
 
Traditional understanding: Crisis prevention
Unexpected events need to be avoided at all costs
Better planning, more information, sophisticated forecasting are
key
Internal operations: reliable routines and procedures
External: better environmental scanning, more insights
Unexpected: lack of knowledge, planning failure
 
New paradigm: Expecting the Unexpected
Unexpected events cannot be avoided: environment and
organization are complex (normal accident theory)
Reversing the question: instead of: how the Unexpected be
avoided, how can we manage the Unexpected
Grand Challenges: problems are complex, uncertain, evaluative
(Ferraro et al. 2015)
 
Crisis unfold in phases 
(adapted from Darkow 2019)
 
Expect the Unexpected
 
Chaos phase
 
Containment phase
 
The „New Normal“
Anticipation phase
 
Chaos phase
Roll-out response structures
Reduce complexity
Slowing-down
 
Containment phase
Act flexibly on the basis of learned routines
Improvisation
Role-switiching
Rule-breaking
 
The „Normal“
Anticipation phase
 
Chaos Phase 
(adapted from Danner-Schröder/Geiger 2016)
 
Establishing structures
Fast prioritizing on the basis of routines (e.g. triage)
Focus: avoid destructions, active „overseeing“
Reduce complexity: first get ready to act before acting
Non-acting as a key „action“
 
„each catastrophe is different, but we always approach it in similar ways“
(first responder THW)
 
 
Keep routines on track as key focus
Reduce complexity
 
Containment Phase 
(adapted from Bechky/Okhuysen 2011 & Danner-
Schröder/Geiger 2016)
 
Act flexible on the basis of learnt routines
Disentagle existing routines into discret chunks
Flexible re-combination of these chunks to adapt to varying
circumstances
 
Improvisation as key capability
Use whatever tools at hand (bricolage)
Variety of skill-sets needed
Swift switching of roles
Response teams switch roles as situation demands
Swift switch between different tasks
 
 
Containment Phase 
(adapted from Bechky/Okhuysen 2011)
 
Preconditions:
Broadly shared knowledge base: generalist approach and
intensive training
 
Leadership: authority migration to front-line: decisions are made
where the problems occur
 
Non-hierarchical coordination on the front-line
 
 
 
 
 
 
Containment Phase 
(Faraj/Xiao 2006: 1159)
 
Rules and Rule-breaking
 
 
 
 
 
Containment Phase
 
Bureaucratic Rules
Rules as necessary guidelines (protocols) for dealing with the
Unexpected
Rules are defined to fit specific (expected) situations
To be actionable in novel situations, rule-breaking is inevitable
 
Bureaucratic Rule breaking
Who is entitled to break rules?
When (under what circumstances) is rule breaking tolerated?
How is an erosion of rules prevented?
The case of ‘practical illegal behavior’
Rule breaking leads to success
At the time of rule-breaking its successfulness is uncertain
 
 
 
 
 
Ability to contain crisis (High-reliable organizing) 
(adapted
from Weick/Sutcliffe 2007)
 
Pre-occupation with failure
 
Delegation of decision-making to experts
 
sensitive on operations
 
Learning, fast communication is key
 
Do not oversimplify
 
To Summarize
 
Expecting the Unexpected as Key
 
Unexpected events may turn into crisis: Crisis unfold in phases
 
Each phase demands distinct approaches
Chaos phase
Containment phase
 
Learn how to accept the Unexpected: structure over strategy
 
Contact
 
Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger
Professor for Organization Studies
University of Hamburg
Mail: daniel.geiger@uni-hamburg.de
Twitter: @Org_Studies
 
References
 
Bechky, B. A., & Okhuysen, G. A. 2011. Expecting the unexpected? How SWAT officers and film crews
handle surprises. 
Academy of Management Journal
, 54(2): 239-262.
Danner-Schröder, A., & Geiger, D. 2016. Unravelling the motor of patterning work: Toward an
understanding of the micro-level dynamics of standardization and flexibility. 
Organization Science
, 27(3):
633-658.
Darkow, P. M. 2019. Beyond “bouncing back”: Towards an integral, capability‐based understanding of organizational
resilience. 
Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management
, 27(2): 145-156.
Faraj, S., & Xiao, Y. 2006. Coordination in fast-response organizations. 
Management Science
, 52(8):
1155-1169.
Ferraro, F., Etzion, D., & Gehman, J. 2015. Tackling grand challenges pragmatically: Robust action
revisited. 
Organization Studies
, 36(3): 363-390.
Geiger, D., Danner-Schröder, A., & Kremser, W. 2020. Getting Ahead of Time – Performing Temporal
Boundaries to Coordinate Routines Under Temporal Uncertainty. 
Administrative Science Quarterly
,
forthcoming.
Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. 2007. 
Managing the unexpected : Resilient performance in an age of
uncertainty
 (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
 
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Explore the innovative strategies proposed by Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger on organizing in times of crisis, focusing on preparing organizations to effectively deal with unexpected events like the COVID-19 pandemic. The content delves into the phases of crisis unfolding, managing the tension between stability and flexibility, the role of routines, improvisation, and rule-breaking in crisis management, as well as the shift from crisis prevention to expecting the unexpected. It emphasizes the need for organizations to embrace complexity and uncertainty, highlighting the importance of acting flexibly and maintaining routines in chaotic phases.


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  1. Institut fr Organisation Organizing in Times of Crisis: The case of COVID-19 Organizing in and for the Unexpected Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Chair for Organization Studies University of Hamburg Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Organizing in Times of Crisis 1

  2. Institut fr Organisation What to Expect Guidung question: How can organizations be designed to routinely deal with the Unexpected? Learn about: Crisis unfold in different phases Managing the tension between stability and flexibility in responding to unexpected events The role of routines, improvisation, and roles in managing the Unexpected Rules and Rule-breaking in addressing unexpected events Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Organizing in Times of Crisis 2

  3. Institut fr Organisation From Crisis prevention to Managing the Unexpected Traditional understanding: Crisis prevention Unexpected events need to be avoided at all costs Better planning, more information, sophisticated forecasting are key Internal operations: reliable routines and procedures External: better environmental scanning, more insights Unexpected: lack of knowledge, planning failure New paradigm: Expecting the Unexpected Unexpected events cannot be avoided: environment and organization are complex (normal accident theory) Reversing the question: instead of: how the Unexpected be avoided, how can we manage the Unexpected Grand Challenges: problems are complex, uncertain, evaluative (Ferraro et al. 2015) Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Organizing in Times of Crisis 3

  4. Institut fr Organisation Crisis unfold in phases (adapted from Darkow 2019) Expect the Unexpected The Normal Anticipation phase The New Normal Anticipation phase Chaos phase Containment phase Chaos phase Roll-out response structures Reduce complexity Slowing-down Containment phase Act flexibly on the basis of learned routines Improvisation Role-switiching Rule-breaking Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Organizing in Times of Crisis 4

  5. Institut fr Organisation Chaos Phase (adapted from Danner-Schr der/Geiger 2016) Establishing structures Fast prioritizing on the basis of routines (e.g. triage) Focus: avoid destructions, active overseeing Reduce complexity: first get ready to act before acting Non-acting as a key action each catastrophe is different, but we always approach it in similar ways (first responder THW) Keep routines on track as key focus Reduce complexity Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Organizing in Times of Crisis 5

  6. Institut fr Organisation Containment Phase (adapted from Bechky/Okhuysen 2011 & Danner- Schr der/Geiger 2016) Act flexible on the basis of learnt routines Disentagle existing routines into discret chunks Flexible re-combination of these chunks to adapt to varying circumstances Improvisation as key capability Use whatever tools at hand (bricolage) Variety of skill-sets needed Swift switching of roles Response teams switch roles as situation demands Swift switch between different tasks Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Organizing in Times of Crisis 6

  7. Institut fr Organisation Containment Phase (adapted from Bechky/Okhuysen 2011) Preconditions: Broadly shared knowledge base: generalist approach and intensive training Leadership: authority migration to front-line: decisions are made where the problems occur Non-hierarchical coordination on the front-line Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Organizing in Times of Crisis 7

  8. Institut fr Organisation Containment Phase (Faraj/Xiao 2006: 1159) Rules and Rule-breaking Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Organizing in Times of Crisis 8

  9. Institut fr Organisation Containment Phase Bureaucratic Rules Rules as necessary guidelines (protocols) for dealing with the Unexpected Rules are defined to fit specific (expected) situations To be actionable in novel situations, rule-breaking is inevitable Bureaucratic Rule breaking Who is entitled to break rules? When (under what circumstances) is rule breaking tolerated? How is an erosion of rules prevented? The case of practical illegal behavior Rule breaking leads to success At the time of rule-breaking its successfulness is uncertain Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Organizing in Times of Crisis 9

  10. Institut fr Organisation Ability to contain crisis (High-reliable organizing) (adapted from Weick/Sutcliffe 2007) Pre-occupation with failure Delegation of decision-making to experts sensitive on operations Learning, fast communication is key Do not oversimplify Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Organizing in Times of Crisis 10

  11. Institut fr Organisation To Summarize Expecting the Unexpected as Key Unexpected events may turn into crisis: Crisis unfold in phases Each phase demands distinct approaches Chaos phase Containment phase Learn how to accept the Unexpected: structure over strategy Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Organizing in Times of Crisis 11

  12. Institut fr Organisation Contact Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Professor for Organization Studies University of Hamburg Mail: daniel.geiger@uni-hamburg.de Twitter: @Org_Studies Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Organizing in Times of Crisis 12

  13. Institut fr Organisation References Bechky, B. A., & Okhuysen, G. A. 2011. Expecting the unexpected? How SWAT officers and film crews handle surprises. Academy of Management Journal, 54(2): 239-262. Danner-Schr der, A., & Geiger, D. 2016. Unravelling the motor of patterning work: Toward an understanding of the micro-level dynamics of standardization and flexibility. Organization Science, 27(3): 633-658. Darkow, P. M. 2019. Beyond bouncing back : Towards an integral, capability based understanding of organizational resilience. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 27(2): 145-156. Faraj, S., & Xiao, Y. 2006. Coordination in fast-response organizations. Management Science, 52(8): 1155-1169. Ferraro, F., Etzion, D., & Gehman, J. 2015. Tackling grand challenges pragmatically: Robust action revisited. Organization Studies, 36(3): 363-390. Geiger, D., Danner-Schr der, A., & Kremser, W. 2020. Getting Ahead of Time Performing Temporal Boundaries to Coordinate Routines Under Temporal Uncertainty. Administrative Science Quarterly, forthcoming. Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. 2007. Managing the unexpected : Resilient performance in an age of uncertainty (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Prof. Dr. Daniel Geiger Organizing in Times of Crisis 13

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