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Case 10: Conscious crisis management

The problem

It is difficult to prepare for crisis management because crises don’t happen often enough for cities
to develop the necessary skills. As a result, when crises do hit, cities do not always manage them in
the most effective manner. Having a conscious approach to crisis management can help cities to
learn from the crises they do encounter and to develop the skills to manage crises more effectively.

For many cities effective crisis management is hampered because of the ways that cities are
structured and usually operate. For example

1 Decision-making processes are slow and deliberate, with layers of approval and checks.

2 Organisations are structured to divide city operations into manageable units.
3 City structures are hierarchical, with approval processes that follow the hierarchy.

4 Municipalities are part of greater state or provincial and national structures.

5 Political considerations need to be taken into account when decisions are made.

The solution

By using a structured review of crisis management, cities can start to identify what is hampering
effective crisis management and to develop the processes, structures and skills to be able to respond
more effectively to crises. Researchers have identified a structured process that municipalities go
through during the crisis. In Table 4 the steps in this process are identified, using the case of the
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Joué-les-Tours drinking water crisis as an example. Phases 3, 4 and 5 might be repeated as different
options become available.

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