Abstract
The research addresses three major research perspectives on Crises: Normal Accident Theory, High Reliability Organization Theory, and Crisis Compliance, to gain insight into how a society can contain the impacts of a pandemic. Normal Accident Theory (NAT) was developed in organizational settings and addresses how organizations need to be aware of how “incidents,” minor problems, can propagate into system wide or even global disasters. NAT characterizes disaster prone organizations as having complex, tightly coupled, poorly controlled environments. High Reliability Organization Theory addresses how organizations can deal pragmatically with the reality of complex, tightly coupled systems to create reliable systems. Crisis Compliance seeks to establish guidelines for the appropriate use of technology and available methodologies, before, during and after crisis to prevent crises from occurring, mitigate the impact of the crisis and create a more positive post-crisis world. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, a wave of lawsuits are anticipated. Crisis Compliance argues that if its guidelines are followed, managers and government leaders should be able to limit their liability for damages. Citizens should also be better informed of the potential risks of pandemics and craft better risks aversion and mitigation strategies for themselves, as well as having the ability to choose leaders who can cope effectively with pandemic disasters. These three theories inform an analysis of Covid-19 and the current strategies being used to combat it.
Presenters
Laura LallyAssociate Professor, Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, Hofstra University, New York, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2021 Special Focus: Considering Viral Technologies: Pandemic-Driven Opportunities and Challenges
KEYWORDS
Covid-19, Crisis Compliance, High Reliability Organization Theory, Normal Accident Theory
