Collection

Crisis Management – Collection

We’re all probably far more acquainted with crises on a global scale than we had ever hoped to be, for better or for worse. While the lasting devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to be fully understood, the massive disruption revealed significant gaps in how our communities and nations deal with disasters. Natural disasters are increasing in frequency and severity as climate change continues to wreak havoc, meaning that crisis response is only getting more important. Crisis is not new—there have always been emergencies, and there always will be. But now, perhaps more than ever before, we’re shifting towards proactive preparation, considering what protocols, strategies, and systems we can build when times are “normal” to face the “not so normal.”

Emergency situations often reveal the best and worst of human behavior. Inspiring stories of cooperation and selflessness can contrast with pervasive distrust, paranoia, and division. Today, crisis management is increasingly understood as the management of people, as much as the coordination of resources and logistics. How does emotion affect our crisis response? What can we do to nurture our mental and physical well-being in times of distress and isolation? Why does evidence-based policy sometimes fail to motivate behavior change?

Below, you’ll find a curated collection of resources that dig deeper into the complex world of crisis management, covering the emotional dimensions of crisis response, coping with disruption, and behavioral science-informed crisis policy.

Emotional Dimensions of Crisis Response

Affect Heuristic 

In high-pressure situations, we’re more likely to make decisions based on emotions, rather than logic. Our feelings can often cloud our best judgment, but they can also help us make split-second decisions in high-stakes, risky, and time-sensitive scenarios, like natural disasters.

Normalcy Bias 

In 1912, the RMS Titanic tragically struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean, traveling at full speed despite receiving several warnings from nearby ships. We tend to believe in “business as usual” even when the warning signs say otherwise, leading to potentially disastrous consequences and unprepared crisis responses. 

That feeling of crisis: Rachel Kiddell-Monroe 

Current international responses to global health crises rely on rationalism, objectivity, and numbers, often obscuring the real people and lived experiences at the center of these inequities. Effective action starts with empathy, understanding, and solidarity to overcome physical distances and create meaningful change.

Coping with Crisis

Behavioral Strategies to Stay Productive during COVID Isolation 

Crisis situations move us from our default mode of discovery, where we can focus on potential rewards, to defense, a constant state of vigilance to fend off threats. By intentionally staying curious, taking care of our minds and bodies, and holding on to positivity, we can preserve some normalcy in the face of isolation and disruption.

Living a Behavioural Analysis 

Sometimes, the beauty of behavioral science lies in its simplicity; returning to the BASICs can reveal the small and impactful ways we can cope in difficult times, helping us understand how disruption affects even our most mundane behaviors. 

Informed Crisis Policy

Disasters at work: Daniel Kaniewski 

Effective government crisis responses manage people, in addition to resources and logistics. Disaster relief efforts require careful coordination and intentional messaging to build resilient communities and bring people together in ways that support first responders, rather than obstruct them.

Policy And Social Behavior During A Crisis: Faisal Naru 

If past and ongoing crises—natural disasters, pandemics, and even the threat of climate change—have taught us anything, it’s that expertise isn’t always enough to change people’s behavior. By understanding the emotional drivers of individual reactions to crisis, public policy can more effectively motivate widespread behavior change.

A Behavioral Approach to COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

While resistance to the COVID-19 vaccine is perhaps most recent in our collective memories, vaccine hesitancy is nothing new. Rather than diminishing pushback, understanding some of the genuine concerns surrounding vaccines may support more transparent, empathetic public health campaigns.

Supporting Our Frontline Workers With Behavioral Science 

Without frontline workers, our societies would collapse on a regular day, never mind a crisis situation. Essential workers are some of our most underappreciated, unsupported community members, facing isolation, burnout, and health risks without informed wellness programs in place.

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