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Operating at the edge: firefighters, networks and lessons for minimal disruption during crisis

Olivier Berthod (Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany)

Journal of Business Strategy

ISSN: 0275-6668

Article publication date: 21 May 2018

184

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to point at the vulnerability of the networks on which companies rely, willingly or not. This vulnerability, it is argued, can be harnessed if firms proactively engage with their partners toward collective crisis management.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study relies on a three-year fieldwork, including over 100 interviews and 560 hours of observations at a public organization specialized in crisis and emergency management.

Findings

This case study shows how practitioners who are trained in emergency management prepare for crisis mitigation via the harnessing of networks. The paper translates these insights into networking practices and heuristics for business settings.

Originality/value

Because it reports on an extreme organization specialized in crisis and emergency management, this case study reports on observations that are derived from the best. Promising practical implications for businesses are discussed.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The author owes gratitude to Michael Grothe-Hammer for his comments on an earlier draft of this paper and for sharing his numerous insights and observations from the field. He acknowledges generous funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG, Grant SY 32/6-1).

Citation

Berthod, O. (2018), "Operating at the edge: firefighters, networks and lessons for minimal disruption during crisis", Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 39 No. 3, pp. 34-39. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-04-2017-0038

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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