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Assessment in organizational crisis management has traditionally focused on risk assessment ([36] Paton et al. , 2000) and business impact analysis ([19] Laye, 2002; [32] Myers, 1999). These efforts are designed to discover and mitigate potential disruptions caused by crises ([25] Mitroff and Anagnos, 2001). Risk assessment identifies an organization's potential for crises by evaluating internal and external threats ([17] Herbig, 2003; [18] Hodge, 2003). Threats might involve the location of an organization or the adequacy of equipment and technology. The goal of identifying risks is to mitigate these as much as possible to prevent or minimize disruption of business. Business impact analysis, on the other hand, examines the effect of crises on business profitability ([44] Slintak, 2003). The objective is to anticipate disturbances or interruptions to normal business and to develop procedures that minimize the impact of crises ([6] Brown, 1997). Unfortunately, neither risk assessment nor business impact analyses are 100 percent effective in preventing crises. Crises still occur in organizations ([12] Fink, 2002).
Information obtained from risk assessment and business impact analysis is helpful but not sufficient for organizations experiencing a crisis ([32] Myers, 1999). According to [32] Myers (1999), these processes often are compartmentalized and fail to consider the consequences of a crisis for the organization as a whole. This problem is especially true with respect to assessing impact on employees. Failure to obtain information on the effect of a crisis on employees could significantly disrupt the implementation of crisis management plans. Therefore, assessment strategies that provide additional information are needed for organizations to enhance the efficiency of the recovery process. These strategies should build on traditional organizational assessment ([20] Levinson, 2002) by integrating an understanding of crisis management. The assessment strategies should involve gathering information beyond identifying technological problems such as computer failures or communication shutdowns, evaluation of mechanical difficulties such as broken or inoperative machinery, and estimating damages to the physical plant facilities. Strategies must recognize that an organization is an interdependent group of people ([20] Levinson, 2002). Specifically, the assessment strategies should evaluate reactions with respect to the human impact of the crisis as seen in the culture of the organization. This process is important because successful implementation of a crisis management plan is dependent on people's capacity to...