Sense of community responsibility at the forefront of crisis management

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that a sense of community responsibility is crucial to mitigate the effects of viral spread. Many citizens across the world have heeded the call to isolate and self-distance, yet large numbers of individuals do not seem to understand their responsibility for others. This article explores how a sense of community responsibility is born in community contexts, how various features of a crisis impact community responsibility, and how public administration plays a crucial role in facilitating mitigation and solutions to crisis. The article also explores the utility of the Community Experience Model in crisis management contexts, and sets the stage for further exploration of community experiences in disaster and crisis scholarship and practice.

Keywords:

• Crisis management
• disaster management
• sense of community
• sense of community responsibility

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Neil M. Boyd

Dr. Neil Boyd is Professor of Management in the Freeman College of Management at Bucknell University. His research primarily focuses on community experiences at work (sense of community and sense of community responsibility), and interventions that help infuse cultures of community in organizations. He has additional research streams in prosocial motivation, human resource management, public management, sustainability, and community-engaged management pedagogy.

Eric C. Martin

Dr. Eric C. Martin is Professor of Management in the Freeman College of Management at Bucknell University. His research in disaster response, civil society, and community building, focuses on inter-organizational and crosssectoral partnering to improve the delivery of services in complex humanitarian emergencies.