Business crisis management in wartime: Insights from Ukraine

Sofiya Opatska, Winni Johansen*, Adam Vigdor Gordon

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperJournal articleResearchpeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Our research documents the experiences of business crisis management in wartimeUkraine. The goal of the paper is to contribute to our understanding of businesscrisis management in a conflict zone in wartime conditions, a significantly under‐researched area. Based on interviews with the owners and managers of 20 Ukrainiancompanies spanning sectors and geography of the country, the paper providesinsights into the various elements that characterize and distinguish war as a crisistype, including having an unknown end point, and, furthermore, what we can learnfrom how Ukrainian managers have approached this crisis. Among the key findingsare how war situations appear to be“cosmology episodes”for which it is not possibleto adequately prepare and for which the end point is unknown, both of which call foremergent, adaptive crisis management capabilities and leadership skills characterizedby improvisation and other forms of resilience. Notwithstanding this, companywartime crisis management experiences have stimulated intention to morestructured anticipatory and preparedness practices, as well as narratives of futurerenewal in communications with staff and stakeholders, which serve both as aguidepost and coping mechanism during the current crisis.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere12513
JournalJournal of Contingencies and Crisis Management
Volume32
Issue1
Number of pages10
ISSN0966-0879
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2024

Keywords

  • anticipation
  • crisis leadership
  • crisis preparedness
  • internal crisis communication
  • learning
  • resilience
  • strategic foresight
  • war

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