Preparation for the Novel Crisis: A Curriculum and Pedagogy for Emergent Crisis Leadership

Abstract

The context for this study is the convergence of global trends and risks, especially environmental and social changes, with the interconnectedness of the modern world leading to new, larger-scale, and unforeseeable crises. This convergence has the potential for a shift from what the author describes as the current resilience paradigm to a new crisis paradigm, labelled the novel crisis. The proportion of the global critical infrastructure that is in private or non-state ownership exacerbates the challenges for crisis management systems and leadership. It means that a wider range of stakeholders will be involved, testing the skills and knowledge of the individuals confronting crises. This coincides with the changes to the nature and provision of Higher Education that are happening already or expected in the future and with changes to employment patterns and student profiles. A case study analyses the immediate impact Hurricane Katrina had on New Orleans in 2005 as an exemplar of the novel crisis. Secondary data are used to explore the organisational response of the authorities and the initiatives and leadership networks that emerged to respond to that catastrophe. There is still a need to improve and invest in conventional crisis management structures but the key to confronting future novel crises will be with the temporary networks that emerge of those with specialist knowledge, connections, or proximity to the event. An appropriate crisis leadership curriculum and pedagogy is developed from the literature and evidence from the case study to meet their needs.