"The pressure's high
Just to stay alive
'Cause the heat is on (whoo!)”
The Heat Is On by Glenn Frey (Click here for the song)
Photo by Sophia Simoes on Unsplash
“I got it so wrong--I made mistakes, micromanaged, shouted it’s like all my de-railers were manifesting at once, I feel like in my attempt to rectify the situation I just made it worse."
Coaching client
There is a whole body of research into why crises occur in organisations, what can be done to minimise their likelihood and what plans need to be in place in the rare event that things go horribly wrong.
Researchers have found that Organisational crisis management encompasses more than a specific knowledge base or a discrete set of technical skills. It requires the ability to think broadly, from multiple and diverse perspectives. It also necessitates the capacity to conceptualise complex problems within the dynamics of multiple interacting systems and subsystems at the individual, group, and organisational levels.
Best practice involves taking preventative measures to minimise the likelihood of a catastrophe and to plan how to react sensibly, quickly and safely if a disaster occurs.
An organizational crisis is defined as "a low probability, high-impact event that threatens the viability of the organization and is characterized by ambiguity of cause, effect, and means of resolution as well as by a belief that decisions must be made swiftly" (p. 60).”
Pearson and Clair (1998)
Why do things go wrong?
Researchers have found that crisis-prone organisations show many similarities to dysfunctional family systems. For example: poor boundaries, a tendency toward feelings of omnipotence, the blaming of others, feelings of alienation, anxiety, and inadequacy. Flawed rationalisations for action/inaction and the lack of awareness of the level of dysfunction.
In addition, researchers found that leaders are prone to faulty notions that inhibit their ability to plan appropriately. For example, rationalisations about the properties of organisations, the environment the actual crises and the process of crisis management. Under conditions of extreme and prolonged stress researchers have found that the amygdala can take over causing an immediate, overwhelming emotional response out of proportion to the situation. Often this manifests with the disappearance of rational thought and the emergence of a primal urge to fight, flee or freeze. Researchers have found that in these circumstances the plans are at best ignored and worst replaced by strong negative emotions. Ongoing crises can break the psychological balance of leaders causing an increase in anxiety, changes in their cognitive response processes; a decrease in thinking and judgment, and the inability to manage environmental interference.
So what can be done?
“Organisational crises are emotionally challenging situations”
James and Wooten
Unfortunately, the emotional aspects of crises are often overlooked. Researchers have found that the leader's emotional intelligence can moderate the impact of the crisis on employees' emotional reactions. That is the ability to regulate your own emotions and that of others will increase the likelihood of implementing a rational planned response to the situation. In addition, the leader will be aware of how to share information and provide guidance in a manner that is aligned with the practical, safety and emotional needs of others.
Taking advantage of the contagion effect of emotions when a leader is appropriately calm in times of stress can set the tone for the behaviour and reactions of others. Regular readers know the benefits of long and short-term well-being strategies and the need to build resources to buffer against times of stress. What is often overlooked is the need to practice emotional regulation strategies. I have written in the past about the third space and relaxation quickies, (click here for my blog) however, I wonder how many readers integrate these approaches into their regular routines.
Researchers have found that to make a behaviour automatic, practice, repetition and accountability are essential. Fortunately, there are many circumstances in both work and life particularly around communication when leaders can practice emotional regulation.
Challenge yourself to take the time to slow down your breathing and take a little pause to contemplate your words and deeds before answering all phone calls, and reading all email or WhatsApp messages. Irrespective of whom the incoming communication is from. Then take another slow breath and contemplate your words before you reply. The more often you do this the more it will become a habit and your expected style of responding.
The Towering Inferno is a poignant reminder of the horrific ramifications of poor crisis management. Click here for the trailer.
References:
Janka, A., Adler, C., Fischer, L., Perakakis, P., Guerra, P. and Duschek, S. (2015). Stress in crisis managers: evidence from self-report and psychophysiological assessments. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 38(6), pp.970–983. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-015-9654-1.
Dubrin, A.J. (2013). Handbook of Research on Crisis Leadership in Organizations. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Crane, M.F., Boga, D., Karin, E., Gucciardi, D.F., Rapport, F., Callen, J., & Sinclair, L. (2019). Strengthening resilience in military officer cadets: A group-randomised controlled trial of coping and emotion regulatory self-reflection training. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 87, 125-140. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000356
Simola, Sheldene. (2005). Organizational Crisis Management: Overview and Opportunities. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice & Research, 57(3), 180-192. Retrieved from http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&PAGE=reference&D=ovftg&NEWS=N&AN=00135761-200505730-00002.
Pearson, C. M., & Clair, J. A. (1998). Reframing crisis management.Academy of Management Review,23(1), 59-76.
Yahya Maresh H. Hazaa, Faozi A. Almaqtari & Abdullah Al-Swidi | Albert W. K. Tan (Reviewing editor) (2021) Factors Influencing Crisis Management: A systematic review and synthesis for future research, Cogent Business & Management, 8:1, DOI: 10.1080/23311975.2021.187897
Liu, B., Zhu, J., Su, F., Wen, B. and Wu, Y. (2022). Financial Crisis in Management Stress: From the Perspective of Crisis Anxiety of Others. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.854746.
Williams, T.A., Gruber, D.A., Sutcliffe, K.M., Shepherd, D.A. and Zhao, E.Y. (2017). Organizational Response to Adversity: Fusing Crisis Management and Resilience Research Streams. Academy of Management Annals, 11(2), pp.733–769. doi:https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2015.0134.
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