Understanding crisis and crisis management: an Indian perspective

Abstract

This study explored individual perceptions of the concept of crisis and the strategies used to manage crisis events. Situated in the national Indian cultural context, this exploratory qualitative study addressed three questions: How do individuals from the Indian national culture define a crisis? How do individuals from the Indian national culture manage a crisis? What impact does the Indian national culture have on individual approaches to crisis management? Interview data were collected from 66 Indian participants with a focus on critical incidents related to crises. The findings from a thematic analysis revealed that, despite sharing the same national cultural heritage, the participants perceived crises very differently, and their approaches to crisis management could be classified into three categories: fighting, compromising, and avoiding. Further, culture influenced the strategies participants adopted to manage their perceived crises, and national cultural norms that bound the society were given the utmost importance by the participants.

Keywords:

• perceptions of crisis
• crisis management
• India
• culture

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.