The crisis is the COVID-19 pandemic which became a worldwide issue in the first half of 2020 and continues to affect people around the globe. The public safety sector responsible for this crisis in the United States is the Department of Health and Human Services (Beilstein et al., 2021). The organization plan includes such main risks as the increased rate of infections and the potential for infecting people from vulnerable groups with increased health risks. The outcomes of these events can also lead to financial and logistical disruptions. Thus, the main goal of this plan is to prevent the spread of the virus while maintaining the organization’s operations.
The plan is to be activated based on the federal, state, and local regulations and statistics showing the infection rate. The chain of command starts with the executive team, which oversees the leaders of other teams responsible for their specific activities (D’Auria &De Smet, 2020). These include the immediate response group consisting of medical consultants and project managers. Moreover, special action teams are created to manage changes in financial operations, technology adoption for remote work, and external communication with media and partners. Internal communications are another team that collects feedback and delivers updates on the state of the organization and policy.
The first step to managing the crisis is health education focused on personal hygiene, social distancing, symptom recognition, and vaccination. Next, changes in the workspace are instituted, including the placement of sanitizing products, cleaning, remote job opportunities, and the implementation of relevant software to support working from home. Managers and team leads are trained to adjust to these circumstances and share information with their subordinates. Supply chain managers are educated on the potential scenarios while the organization estimates the risks of disruption and restart.
References
Beilstein, C. M., Lehmann, L. E., Braun, M., Urman, R. D., Luedi, M. M., & Stüber, F. (2021). Leadership in a time of crisis: Lessons learned from a pandemic. Best Practice & Research Clinical Anaesthesiology, 35(3), 405-414.
D’Auria, G., & De Smet, A. (2020). Leadership in a crisis: Responding to the coronavirus outbreak and future challenges. McKinsey & Company.