Strategizing Organizational Emergency Management: Strategies-as-Practice Perspective

Emergency management (EM) in the oil and gas industry is of strategic importance to organizations as it can have impact on people’s lives and organizational reputation. This developmental paper proposes a conceptual framework for understanding organizational EM strategies by considering the micro-level activity of emergency response and responders in shaping strategy at the macro-level. The practices of key organizational responders during emergencies are strategic because they draw on strategic plans and are crucial to strategic outcomes. However, these key participants may not have formal strategy roles. It is argued that an understanding of whether and how their practices are incorporated into practices that shape strategy may situate them closer to the centre of strategizing activities; from outsiders to insiders.