Abstract
A crisis is first and foremost a problem of collective action in an uncertain and complex environment. It requires the ability to improvise, tinker, and reassemble—capabilities that are complementary to, or sometimes distinct from, the mechanisms that organize the response to the crisis. Far from marking a break with the past, these capabilities are part of the continuity of organizations that adapt based on what already exists, available resources, and existing relationships. What is true at the organizational level is also true at the societal level. Like war in Clausewitz’s view, a crisis is the continuation of existing relationships in another form.
