Constructing Crisis
Leaders, Crises and Claims of Urgency
- Author: Bert Spector, Northeastern University, Boston
- Date Published: September 2019
- availability: In stock
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781108446082
Paperback
Other available formats:
Hardback, eBook
Looking for an inspection copy?
This title is not currently available on inspection
-
There is no such thing as a crisis. Rather than an actual, corporeal thing, a crisis is a claim asserted from a position of power and influence, intended to shape the understanding of others. A constructed crisis by a leader may or may not be legitimate, and, legitimate or not, the content of a claim alone does not determine whether people decide to believe it. Rather than viewing crises as the result of objective events, Spector demonstrates that leaders impose crises on organizations to strategically assert power and exert control. Interpreting crisis through a critical lens, this interdisciplinary book encompasses not just management and organizational literature, but also sociology, history, cognitive science, and psychology. The resulting wide-ranging, critical, and provocative analysis will appeal in particular to students and academics researching leadership and crisis management.
Read more- Offers a new theoretical model of crises
- Written in an accessible style
- Provides in-depth case studies with each chapter
Reviews & endorsements
'This is a remarkable book! Novel and to the point, it also contains didactic discussions about method which blend seamlessly into the flow of its argument.' José Santos, INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France
See more reviews'At last, a thoughtful, critical and contemporary review of the nature of crisis - in an alleged time of crisis. Spector provides a radical lens on an important phenomenon that we should all read, if we really want to understand the contemporary world.' Keith Grint, University of Warwick
'This masterfully composed book sheds new light on the dangers of looking at the processes of governing and organizing through the lens of crisis claimed by an untamed executive power. With his profound historical consciousness and focused critical reflexivity, Spector reveals to us the dark underbelly of executive leadership claiming crisis.' Milorad Novicevic, University of Mississippi
'In this timely and lively book, Spector takes on the 'peek-a-boo' notion that every new and unexpected event is a crisis. He argues that crises are claims made by leaders, which in today's post-truth world, we need to verify to prevent them from using fear to accumulate power.' Joanne B. Ciulla, Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick
'Rich in crisis theory, Constructing Crisis is an exceptional, unique, and even profound book … Artfully constructed, Constructing Crisis is must reading for those who study or practice leadership.' J. B. Kashner, Choice
'… this book will be of great interest to social constructionist scholars and scholars sympathetic to a sociology of knowledge framework. Academics who specialize in crisis may find the conceptual approach refreshing, and the book is written with such engaging and vivid examples that its appeal is likely to extend well beyond the ivory tower.' Michael Adorjan, International Sociology
Customer reviews
Not yet reviewed
Be the first to review
Review was not posted due to profanity
×Product details
- Date Published: September 2019
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781108446082
- length: 316 pages
- dimensions: 227 x 152 x 15 mm
- weight: 0.51kg
- availability: In stock
Table of Contents
Preface: there's no such thing as a crisis
1. Undertaking a new interpretive effort
2. Crisis as a reification of Urgency
3. Advancing the crisis-as-event model
4. Problems, crises, and contextual constructionism
5. An objective description and a subjective Uh-Oh!
6. Believing claims of urgency – or not
7. The power of a good (crisis) narrative
8. To create such a crisis, to foster such a tension
9. Beyond forged-in-crisis leadership
10. So what?
References.
Sorry, this resource is locked
Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email lecturers@cambridge.org
Register Sign in» Proceed
You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.
Continue ×Are you sure you want to delete your account?
This cannot be undone.
Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.
If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.
×