Building resilience for stronger communities

Abstract

Much of the early research in crisis management and crisis communication centered on the core competencies of crisis response: why do we need to plan for crises; what are the stages of effective crisis planning; what theoretical perspectives are helpful to scholars and practitioners; and what are the steps of an up-to-date crisis plan. Delineation of these core competencies goes on. Among these competencies, the crisis stage meriting the least attention arguably is post-crisis, the critical days and weeks immediately following the formal resolution of the crisis. Research attention has often focused on recovery and learning, positioning the organization for the future. Another critical component of effective crisis response merits further study. In these days of black swan crises that take a huge toll on organizations and their communities, more focus is needed on building individual, organizational, and community resilience to destructive crises. While resilience can be best measured in the post-crisis phase, this assessment should lead to new efforts to educate and prepare individuals, organizations, and communities for the new threats to come. This research proposes strategies for building resilience to strengthen organizational and community response when confronted by major crisis events.