Logistics in crisis management

A word that in the modern world often takes on a dramatic dimension and fills many decision-makers with fear is crisis. It denotes a breakthrough moment, a kind of turning point in the course of events. Unfortunately, despite many efforts to prevent it, it usually appears at the most unexpected moments and most often has the most difficult consequences to predict. However, when one speaks of a crisis, this term is almost always used to describe changes in the political or economic situation, yet no less important is its manifestation as a violation of the safety of citizens in connection with threats to their life, health, property, or the natural environment. In addition, one cannot forget about the crisis that increasingly affects organizations themselves (institutions and enterprises), causing a dramatic change in their market situation or existing operating principles.

Since a crisis is generally a negative phenomenon (although it may evolve into a new quality in the future), anti-crisis actions should be taken. If these are preventive actions, they will minimize its potential sources of origin, whereas if they are corrective actions, they will, in a situation where it has already occurred, eliminate the consequences of its occurrence as quickly as possible.

Sometimes the opinion arises that by taking this set of actions, we are in fact dealing with crisis management – but this term, for obvious reasons, does not include preventive actions, i.e., anti-crisis ones. Without delving into the essence of this dualism, however, the actions taken to remove both causes and consequences must above all be rational (in their organizational and economic essence), which is why they must be managed appropriately (management); in this specific case, this means the totality of necessary activities to be performed, aimed at effective, efficient, economical, reliable, and safe management of the resources possessed, which will be engaged in the anti-crisis action process. Therefore, it should include such resources as, for example: technical, technological, informational (data), financial, and above all, socio-organizational resources. The entirety of these actions is, of course, intended to lead to the effective use of human resources and material means so as to achieve previously established assumptions, that is, to counteract the threat. Consequently, in the process of anti-crisis action, basic functions to be realized can be distinguished: planning, organizing, issuing commands, coordinating, and controlling. Within each of these functions, those managing the process can use specific sets of instruments that serve to achieve the set goals.