Generating Collective Competence in Crisis

Crisis management is one of those domains where theory meets reality under pressure. I had the privilege to contribute to this exceptional publication — “Generating Collective Competence in a Constrained Environment: The Case of Michelin’s Crisis Cells”. It was an honor to share my aerospace and technology risk management experience, bringing a perspective from an industry where managing emergencies, coordinating multidisciplinary teams, and making real-time decisions are daily realities.

The Study

The publication results from 12 years of research conducted within the Michelin Group, analyzing how crisis response cells function, evolve, and improve over time.

Photo: https://pl.freepik.com/

➡️ Results:

The research identifies what truly enables organizations to manage crises effectively: Collective Competence — the ability of a team to coordinate dynamically, learn continuously, and act coherently under extreme conditions. Unlike individual expertise, collective competence cannot be pre-assigned or hired — it’s developed through shared experiences, cross-training, and preparation for the unpredictable.

The research defines seven key roles:

➡️ The Leader — ensures overall direction, arbitration, and decision-making under uncertainty.

➡️ The Anticipator — identifies emerging risks, interdependencies, and weak signals to foresee potential cascades.

➡️ The Interventionist — leads immediate operational responses and ensures safety of people, assets, and operations.

➡️ The Logistician — guarantees that all needed resources, communications, and support systems function seamlessly.

➡️ The Communicator — manages internal and external communications, maintaining transparency and trust.

➡️ The Facilitator — optimizes coordination, ensures procedural discipline, and maintains team focus.

➡️ The Scribe — captures all actions, rationales, and lessons learned, building the foundation for post-crisis improvement.

The research underlines three critical success factors:

➡️ Simulation & Training:

Regular crisis exercises help teams internalize their roles, build reflexes, and create a shared mental model for action.

➡️ Reflection & Debrief:

Every event or simulation should end with a structured review — not just what went wrong, but why it happened, and how collective dynamics influenced outcomes.

➡️ Psychological Safety & Trust:

Teams that can challenge assumptions, communicate openly, and adapt roles dynamically are far more resilient under pressure.

This connects directly to the concept of learning organizations, where crisis response becomes a feedback loop that strengthens both processes and culture.

Link

Author: Sebastian Burgemejster