Abstract
Purpose. In light of the recent frequent and unpredictable crises and disasters, the purpose of this study was to investigate the presence and importance of diversity and sensemaking variables, namely flexibility, inclusion, trust, risk perception, adaptation, and equity, in crisis management planning, as perceived by crisis management planners for diverse communities. Methodology. The sample for this study was randomly selected from a population of business continuity personnel attending a national conference on disaster recovery in Orlando, Florida. A total of 234 attendees filled out a questionnaire survey. The data collected were analyzed using a quantitative method. Findings. This survey found with statistical significance that (a) there is a low presence of diversity and sensemaking variables in current crisis management practice, (b) the planners perceive the variables of diversity and sensemaking to be important in crisis management planning, (c) there is a large gap between "presence" and "importance," and (d) these perceptions are consistent with all demographics in the population. Conclusion. With increased complexity and unpredictability of crises in increasingly diverse communities, and contrary to current, top-down, fix-it, centralized, and secretive approaches, this study finds support even amongst crisis management planners, for increasing the presence of diversity and sensemaking variables, flexibility, inclusion, trust, risk perception, adaptability, and equity, in crisis management planning for diverse communities. Recommendations. Future studies could (a) examine the perceptions of members of a diverse community that may have experienced a crisis or disaster to discover how they value these variables, in contrast to crisis management planners; (b) expand the study of these variables as de facto instruments for the measure of the presence of diversity and sensemaking, not only in crisis but in other situations as well; (c) examine if these variables and the overall notion of diversity and sensemaking in crisis management apply to all forms of crisis, including economic crisis, domestic crisis, etc.