Cool During Crisis

Nonprofits suffer through crisis on a regular basis and this management tip, from Harvard Business Review, about getting through it is excellent.

An excerpt.

“While the earthquake in Haiti has brought indescribable devastation and horror, it has also reminded us of the incredible ability and willingness of individuals and organizations to respond to a crisis. What is it about a crisis that causes people and organizations to step up to new levels of performance?

“Having looked at crisis situations for many years, there are three factors that are always present in the human response to them: Urgency, empathy, and innovation. Urgency is the realization that time matters — that there are clear goals and even clearer consequences if they are not achieved quickly. Empathy is the identification that people feel with the crisis, the sense that we are connected and that one day we could be in the same situation and would want others to help us too. Innovation, of course, is the freedom to respond in ways that are out of the ordinary, that don't get caught up in red tape, approvals, and complex decision-making.

“Whenever these three factors are present, individuals and organizations tend to raise their game — as we are seeing with Haiti and as we've seen in past natural disasters. But when the crisis passes, these three factors also fade. We're already seeing bickering among state and federal agencies in the U.S. about who is going to pay for airlifts and medical support; red tape reappearing in regard to orphan adoption; and a general waning of interest on the part of the general public. Eventually, the focus on Haiti will go back to "normal" even though the needs of the country and its people will still be far beyond ordinary.

“You have probably seen similar responses to crises in your organization, even though the scale and cost may be vastly different than the sort of massive humanitarian challenge that happens after a natural disaster.”