Bottling a crisis culture
I spoke to a Chief Information Officer recently. When I asked how his team culture was at the minute, he told me of a technology incident that they had to deal with. He said that whilst things were ‘touch and go for a while’ and that ‘the eyes of the executive were on us’ ultimately the team had pulled together magnificently to resolve it.
He talked of proactive collaboration, creative solutioning, courageous conversations, on-the-spot task prioritisation, clear, unambiguous communication and people taking responsibility for decisions rather than emailing everyone for their thoughts!
When I asked him how he believed I could help him, he replied ‘How do I make this the normal day-to-day culture? I want to be able to bottle this crisis culture!’
His request revealed a fundamental truth about culture: teams often perform at their peak during crises precisely because they are granted the autonomy to act decisively and collaboratively. The CIO's desire to "bottle" this crisis culture highlights a crucial learning opportunity.
During the technology incident, employees weren't following a prescribed ‘playbook’ – they were responding to a situation where they felt genuine ownership and purpose. They had agency over their actions and decisions, which naturally led to the humanistic behaviours that leadership typically struggles to instil: proactive collaboration, decisive action, and clear communication.
To recreate this environment, organisations need to shift from trying to mandate culture (or simply expecting it to happen!) to instead creating conditions where employees have the agency to shape it themselves. When people feel they have real influence over their work environment and methods, they develop a deeper sense of purpose and belonging. This isn't just about giving people freedom – it's about entrusting them with meaningful responsibility for outcomes.
The result is a self-reinforcing cycle: agency leads to purpose, purpose generates pride, pride fosters belonging, and belonging creates authentic engagement. Employees who feel this level of connection naturally exhibit the positive behaviours seen during crises. Not because they're told to, but because they genuinely care about the team's success and their role within it.
The crisis didn't create new behaviours – it simply revealed what employees are capable of when they feel genuinely empowered to make a difference.