Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/30034
Title: Obstacles to collective action during a crisis: A meta-organizational perspective
Authors: Hartwell, CA
Lawton, TC
Tingbani, I
Keywords: collective action;COVID-19;crisis;European Union;meta-organization
Issue Date: 28-Jul-2024
Publisher: Wiley on behalf of European Academy of Management (EURAM)
Citation: Hartwell, C.A., Lawton, T.C. and Tingbani, I. (2023) 'Obstacles to collective action during a crisis: A meta-organizational perspective', European Management Review, 21 (2), pp. 296 - 314. doi: 10.1111/emre.12596.
Abstract: Meta-organizations form to advance collective action. But collective action can be more difficult to coordinate for meta-organizations comprising governmental agencies or sovereign states, with system-level objectives often conflicting. These challenges can be more binding during a crisis, where the responses called for are outside of the original reason for the meta-organization's existence. We advance a framework for conceptualizing meta-organizations that focuses on both internal attributes and external perceptions and suggests how each may help or hinder meta-organization influence during a crisis. Using as a case study the response of the European Union (EU) to COVID-19 and, specifically, to air travel restrictions at the outbreak of the pandemic, we show how meta-organizations can have difficulties in responding expeditiously to crises, particularly when encountering contradictory system-level goals. We argue that meta-organizations must plan for crises during less turbulent times, developing the processes that contribute to the gradual creation of new system-level goals.
Description: Data Availability Statement: Data are shared when contacting the corresponding author.
URI: https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/30034
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12596
ISSN: 1740-4754
Other Identifiers: ORCiD: Thomas C. Lawton https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8560-3836
Appears in Collections:Brunel Business School Research Papers

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