Clarifying the attributes of organizational crises

A clear understanding of the attributes of a crisis is crucial for its prediction, management, and control. However. crises are described by a wide array BE attributes that are often contradictory and/or imprecise. In this article we describe three subsets of crises: technological disasters. crises of decline, and developmental crises. We reduce imprecisions by differentiating between those attributes that describe all crises from those that are specific to a subset. We provide a rationale: as to how computing attributes co-exist. Implications for the study and management of crises are discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc.