An Exploratory Study on the Roles and Functions of Human Resource Professionals in Taiwan Corporate Crisis Management

Abstract

ABSTRACT As Andrew S. Grove, the president and CEO of Intel, comments, only the paranoid survive. Crisis management has been a growing interest and to effectively address the various risks and complex issues that corporations face today, crisis management must be mandated from the top of the organization and driven and implemented by all key business functions jointly. Yet limited research attention has been paid to the issue that how human resource professionals contribute themselves to effective organizational crisis management. The purpose of the study is to identify HR’s roles and functions in crisis management and explore their significance and practicability in the context of Taiwan industries with literature review and a Delphi study conducted to 20 panel experts. The conclusions of this study are: 1. That in the context of Taiwan corporate crisis management, there are five strategic roles and 41 functions for human resources professionals to play. The five roles are Change Agent, Employee Champion, Administrative Expert, Collaborator and Advocate. 2. That Collaborator, Employee Champion, Change Agent and Administrative Expert are the most important roles for HR professionals in Taiwan corporate crisis management. 3. That being Employee Champion is the most practicable role for HR professionals in Taiwan corporate crisis management. 4. That 20 of the 41 functions for HR professionals to implement in Taiwan corporate crisis management reach “extreme significance” level. 5. That 9 of the 41 functions for HR professionals to implement in Taiwan corporate crisis management reach “extreme practicable” level. This study concludes with recommendations for businesses, academic institutions and future research.

ABSTRACT As Andrew S. Grove, the president and CEO of Intel, comments, only the paranoid survive. Crisis management has been a growing interest and to effectively address the various risks and complex issues that corporations face today, crisis management must be mandated from the top of the organization and driven and implemented by all key business functions jointly. Yet limited research attention has been paid to the issue that how human resource professionals contribute themselves to effective organizational crisis management. The purpose of the study is to identify HR’s roles and functions in crisis management and explore their significance and practicability in the context of Taiwan industries with literature review and a Delphi study conducted to 20 panel experts. The conclusions of this study are: 1. That in the context of Taiwan corporate crisis management, there are five strategic roles and 41 functions for human resources professionals to play. The five roles are Change Agent, Employee Champion, Administrative Expert, Collaborator and Advocate. 2. That Collaborator, Employee Champion, Change Agent and Administrative Expert are the most important roles for HR professionals in Taiwan corporate crisis management. 3. That being Employee Champion is the most practicable role for HR professionals in Taiwan corporate crisis management. 4. That 20 of the 41 functions for HR professionals to implement in Taiwan corporate crisis management reach “extreme significance” level. 5. That 9 of the 41 functions for HR professionals to implement in Taiwan corporate crisis management reach “extreme practicable” level. This study concludes with recommendations for businesses, academic institutions and future research.