The evolution of business continuity management: A historical review of practices and drivers

Abstract

As a form of crisis management, business continuity management (BCM) has evolved since the 1970s in response to the technical and operational risks that threaten an organisation's recovery from hazards and interruptions. This paper examines the development of business practices related to crisis management alongside the emergence of legislation, regulations and standards (drivers) requiring organisations to implement specific business continuity activities. From the resulting historical review, three distinct phases of management practice and four phases in the development of drivers are identified, revealing the influence of events over governance, the internationalisation of influence, and organisational resilience as a meta-institution.

Keywords:

• business continuity management
• disaster recovery planning
• international standards
• organisational resilience
• crisis management