High reliability organizing through an extended crisis: a case study of a U.S. university during COVID-19

ABSTRACT

During the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations that had previously operated in low-risk conditions found themselves in environments where failure could be catastrophic. Using the framework of high reliability organizations (HRO), we analyze a specific case of a U.S. university taskforce charged with responding to the pandemic. We argue that the practices employed by the taskforce align with HRO principles, leading to two important theoretical contributions. First, this project highlights the utility of non-HROs using organizing principles reflective of an HRO framework. Next, this project extends HRO theorizing from a set of practices that prevent crisis to a set of communicative principles beneficial during crisis. Finally, the findings suggest practical implications for organizations during various stages of crisis.

KEYWORDS:

• High reliability organizing
• crisis communication
• pandemic response
• COVID-19
• case study

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the members of Colorado State University’s Social Norming Taskforce. Your good work is reflected in the practices and processes detailed in this paper. We also thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their invaluable feedback.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).