Outpacing the pandemic?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Management ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Transformational Leaders ◽  
Multilevel Regression ◽  
Team Collaboration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Task Forces ◽  
Team Selection ◽  
Decision Speed

Purpose The purpose of the study is to determine which of individual competencies, team collaboration and clarity of roles and tasks assigned predict the decision speed of such task forces and which have the most impact. Design/methodology/approach The study looked at data from six continents and participants were at different organizational levels. Using a vignette methodology the data was examined using a factorial analysis by linear multilevel regression. Findings All of the independent variables contribute to high decision speed. Individual competencies seem to be the most important predictor of performance. Prior crisis management training appears to be associated with higher expectations regarding clarity of tasks and roles. It is possible that competent individuals are effective both independently and when influenced by transformational leaders. Research limitations/implications Limitations: decision speed was measured using only one item, the measurement of decision speed was based on the perceptions of respondents, the snowballing technique gives little control over the representativeness of the sampling. Strengths: the methodology was such as to be able to reach a sample of experts quickly, the rapid implementation of the study contribute to a better understanding of temporary organizations in crisis management. Practical implications The study suggests that selection of task force members is important but also that competent individuals can be effective even when not working in their specialist roles or embedded in clear structures. Team selection is therefore of great importance. Originality/value The simplicity of the design is such as to elicit an adequate response rate from a global sample of professionals even though they were under pressure in managing a crisis. The value of this study is enhanced by the speed at which it was conducted and its results were published.

Outpacing the pandemic? A factorial survey on decision speed of COVID-19 task forces

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-202
Author(s):  
Reto M. Wegmann ◽  
Laura Schärrer
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Management ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Factorial Survey ◽  
Multilevel Regression ◽  
Team Collaboration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Task Forces ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Decision Speed

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to determine how individual competencies, team collaboration and clear assignment of tasks and roles predict the decision speed of temporary task forces employed to handle the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzes COVID-19 task forces and bases of previous research on the performance of temporary teams and human and social capital literature. Linear multilevel regression is used with data from a factorial survey, covering six different continents, various industries and leadership levels from chief executive officers (CEOs) to specialist task force members.FindingsThe study reveals that all analyzed predictors (individual competencies, team collaboration and assignment of tasks and roles) are positively associated with the task force decision speed, with the individual competencies standing out in importance.Practical implicationsTeam member selection is likely to be one of the first tasks necessary when such a temporary task force is created. Additionally, competent individuals might be successful even when not embedded in clear structures and even when not working in their own specialist roles.Originality/valueThe sudden pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 disrupted governments, corporations and individual people alike. As handling a pandemic is new for most involved people, and many such task forces are shown to be manned by personnel not formally trained in crisis management, this study's results represent important contributions to team performance, decision-making and crisis management literature in general. Furthermore, avenues for further research into the comparative analysis of predictors are revealed.

Learning to organize and organizing to learn: the case of Dutch military expeditionary task forces

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric-Hans Kramer ◽  
Matthijs Moorkamp ◽  
Max Visser
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Task Forces ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Everyday Problems

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide insight in how military expeditionary task forces cope with the dual challenge of organizing and learning, by reflecting on the experiences of Dutch expeditionary task forces in post-conflict missions in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Design/methodology/approach This paper reflects on the outcomes of a research project into the experiences of operators of different specific expeditionary task forces of the Dutch Armed Forces in dealing with everyday problems in their working environment. The case studies were based on interviews with military personnel of all ranks and focused on relating the process of making sense of environmental dynamics to characteristics of the organizational context. Findings The case studies indicate that designing and learning become intertwined in the realities of everyday problem-solving in the more complex missions. As task forces are essentially tailor-made for the purpose of specific missions, units initially need to be selected. Subsequently, the design of the task force needs to be adapted to suit local conditions. This challenge interrelates with the everyday challenge for operators of making sense of their environment and finding pragmatic solutions for the everyday problems they are confronted with. In pragmatically solving everyday problems, operators in the cases engaged in working out incomplete or ill-fitting aspects of the task force design. Practical implications The findings are relevant for military task forces and more in general for organizations that are confronted with dynamically complex environments that rely on temporary structures. Originality/value Existing literatures on learning and on organizing generally treat these as two related but essentially separate phenomena. In the expeditionary military task forces, operators that aimed to develop pragmatic solutions to everyday problems, the processes of learning and organizing became intertwined: units needed to organize to learn and to learn to organize. The paper ends by suggesting a combination of specific circumstances that influences the nature of the interrelation between these processes.

Capturing the citizen perspective in crisis management exercises: possibilities and challenges

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Scott ◽  
Carina Brandow ◽  
Jennifer Hobbins ◽  
Sofia Nilsson ◽  
Ann Enander
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Important Condition ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Framework ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Training Exercises ◽  
Crisis Managers ◽  
Collection Methods

Purpose – Supporting and communicating with citizens is a vital part of societal crisis management. Training exercises may offer an opportunity to develop capabilities among managers in this regard. The purpose of this paper is to examine this potential in an analysis of how citizens were portrayed and perceived by participants in a major crisis management exercise. Design/methodology/approach – Observation, document analysis and short interviews during the exercise were used as data collection methods. Data were subjected to thematic analysis to capture core themes in relation to the research aim. Findings – Patterns in how citizens’ reactions were portrayed in the exercise were identified to form a citizen behaviour typology. Observations during the exercise also demonstrated some of the challenges in incorporating the citizen perspective. However, findings regarding the perception of the citizen perspective also demonstrate the ability of exercise participants to meet and respond to public behaviours with respect and seriousness. Originality/value – Variation is an important condition for learning in exercises, and the identified typology is suggested as a starting point for achieving this in incorporation of the citizen perspective in training scenarios. The results of the study are discussed in terms of a learning framework with the aim of explicitly developing crisis managers’ ability to interact and communicate with citizens in crisis situations.

scholarly journals Complexifying Facilitation by Immersing in Lived Experiences of on-the-fly Facilitation

2021 ◽  
pp. 104687812110067
Author(s):  
Joeri van Laere ◽  
Jessica Lindblom ◽  
Marieke de Wijse-van Heeswijk
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Management ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Simulation Game ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Facilitation Skills ◽  
Future Consequences ◽  
Training Exercises ◽  
Management Staff

Background: Describing the role of a facilitator often results in to-do lists resembling a recipe or a laundry list to follow. Such lists fail to grasp the inherent complexity of facilitation and are not very useful in guiding facilitators when, why and if they should intervene in the unfolding live performance of that day. Aim: To develop a deeper understanding of on-the-fly facilitation by analyzing rich empirical accounts of in-situ facilitation episodes. Intervention: Six facilitation episodes were through purposeful sampling selected from a body of hundreds of interventions in forty-seven performed crisis management training exercises in Swedish municipalities. Each full-day crisis management simulation-game had between fifteen and fifty participants involving politicians, administrative managers and crisis management staff. Method: An auto-hermeneutical phenomenological analysis of six lived experiences of facilitation episodes was conducted to understand what the facilitator observed and how a facilitation intervention was applied. Results: On-the-fly-facilitation is instantaneous, but draws simultaneously on awareness of the past, present and future. Facilitation needs are foreseen during design and they influence current attentiveness and coaching. Unfolding game-play needs to be grasped quickly. Potential future consequences of intervening or not intervening are evaluated within a limited window of opportunity. Due to these circumstances, facilitation is multi-skilled, arbitrary and fallible. Such muddiness of on-the-fly facilitation requires courage from the facilitator. Conclusions: In order to better understand how facilitation skills and roles actually are performed, the facilitation literature desperately needs a larger number of rich empirical accounts of interesting in-situ facilitation. Elaborate analysis of such lived experiences could develop understanding as to how available skills, situational circumstances as well as the unfolding interaction between players and facilitators actually develop into a facilitation intervention. This could generate more complex theoretical understanding of how to apply facilitation skills, in addition to theories that list what skills a facilitator should master.

FATCA violation underlies latest US tax and securities fraud charges

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-76
Author(s):  
Miriam Fisher ◽  
Brian McManus
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Tax Compliance ◽  
Financial Fraud ◽  
Securities Fraud ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – To explain the details and implications of a September 9, 2014 federal indictment, US v. Robert Bandfield, the first time a Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) violation has been charged as an “overt act” in furtherance of a tax conspiracy and securities fraud. Design/methodology/approach – Provides background, including the enactment of FATCA and the details of the indictment; describes an undercover investigation conducted by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force; and discusses the warnings this indictment sends to the global financial community. Findings – The indictment confirms the coordinated and aggressive tactics US law enforcement is now employing to investigate and prosecute offshore financial fraud. Practical implications – Banks and financial service providers need to be aware of the impact of enhanced US regulatory obligations and implement appropriate compliance measures. These institutions must also remain sensitive to risks presented by unscrupulous customers. Finally, they must be ready to manage appropriately information-gathering and investigatory inquiries originating with US authorities. Originality/value – Practical guidance from experienced tax controversy lawyers.

Gaming and multimedia applications for environmental crisis management training

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 627-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Stolk ◽  
Daniel Alexandrian ◽  
Begoña Gros ◽  
Roberto Paggio
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Management ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Multimedia Applications ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Crisis Management Training

A critical approach to trade-based money laundering

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melvin R.J. Soudijn
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Traded Goods ◽  
True Value ◽  
Police Investigations ◽  
Financial Action Task

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to broaden the discussion on trade-based money laundering (TBML). The literature is too narrowly focused on the misrepresentation of the value, quantity or quality of the traded goods. This focus leads to the analysis of price anomalies as a signal of over- or under-invoicing. However, TBML can also occur without manipulation of these factors. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature and case study of police investigations. Findings – Financial action task force (FATF) definitions are seriously flawed. The question of whether detecting TBML on the basis of statistical trade data is effective should be much more open to debate. Police investigations show that goods are shipped at their true value within the context of TBML. Research limitations/implications – Using outliers to identify and act on cases of TBML has often been propagated, but scarcely been used to actually show TBML. Real findings are needed. Practical implications – Goods intended for TBML can also be paid for in cash. These cash payments are often out of character with the normal clientele. This should alert companies and compliance sections of banks alike. Originality/value – The critique on the FATF definition opens the field for a more fitting definition. The description of actual TBML cases makes it possible to better understand this method of money laundering.

Tax evasion and money laundering: a complete framework

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deen Kemsley ◽  
Sean A. Kemsley ◽  
Frank T. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Tax Evasion ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Regulatory Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Single Process ◽  
Financial Action Task ◽  
Tax Savings ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Complete Framework

Purpose This paper aims to define the fundamental nexus between income tax evasion and money laundering. The G7 Financial Action Task Force (FATF) designates tax evasion as a predicate offense for money laundering. We determine whether this designation is complete from a conceptual standpoint, or whether there is a stronger connection between tax evasion and money laundering. Design/methodology/approach This paper applies the FATF definition for money laundering – as well as generally accepted definitions for tax evasion and for a standard predicate offense – to identify the necessary conditions for each crime. This paper then uses these conditions to test opposing hypotheses regarding the nexus between tax evasion and money laundering. Findings This paper demonstrates that tax evasion does not meet the conditions for a standard predicate offense, and treating it as if it were a standard predicate could be problematic in practice. Instead, it is concluded that the FATF’s predicate label for tax evasion, together with tax evasion methods and objectives, imply that all tax evasion constitutes money laundering. In a single process, tax evasion generates both criminal tax savings and launders those criminal proceeds by concealing or disguising their unlawful origin. Practical implications The FATF could strengthen its framework by explicitly defining all tax evasion as money laundering. This would enable regulatory agencies to draw upon the full combined resources dedicated to either offense. Originality/value The analysis demonstrates that tax evasion completely incorporates money laundering as currently defined by the FATF.

Battling COVID-19 with human resource management bundling

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arosha S. Adikaram ◽  
N.P.G.S.I. Naotunna ◽  
H.P.R. Priyankara
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Employee Motivation ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hrm Practices

PurposeThis paper aims to present an empirically driven crisis management framework of complementary human resource management (HRM) bundles that can be utilized in simultaneously managing the health crisis, financial crisis and disruptions to business operations through lockdown and other government restrictions propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe framework is developed employing qualitative methodology, drawing from the successful HRM practices adopted by 26 Sri Lankan companies in battling the many crises of COVID-19 and using the soft HRM approach as the theoretical basis.FindingsThe findings report a framework that consists of three key HRM bundles (health and safety bundle, cost-saving bundle and employee motivation and engagement bundle) entailing an array of inter-related, internally consistent, complementary and mutually reinforcing HRM practices and HRM activities. These HRM bundles and the HRM practices as well as the HRM activities therein, indicate how a softer approach to managing employees can be used during a crisis.Practical implicationsThe framework will inform the HRPs of the HRM bundles, HRM practices and HRM activities that can be used to manage the multiple crises created by COVID-19 and other similar pandemics.Originality/valueThe study contributes to and expands the knowledge of HRM in crisis management generally and HRM in a global pandemic more specifically.

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