Zhou Changhui
In emergencies, switching from consistent legality to emergency legality occurs.
Emergency legitimacy must be smoothly transferred from consistent legitimacy, and the competency structure and power structure necessary to ensure emergency legitimacy must be routinely prepared.
The key to comprehensive management thinking is the ability to complete the switch in a ‘semi-improvised’ manner.
The key to transformation lies in the transformation of the four structures of competency, power, meaning and consciousness.
To truly understand the ‘semi-improvised’ legitimacy switching and comprehensive management thinking, and do well in emergency responses, one must appreciate the following:
1. Consistent legitimacy and emergency legitimacy are not mutually exclusive. If the consistent legality and emergency legality are regarded as opposites or even separated, then the legality switch is a completely impromptu switch, and it is inevitably incomprehensive. It is necessary to change this commonly-held view and to realize that these two should be interconnected, inclusive and simultaneously-prepared. The legitimacy switch based on this understanding is a prepared switch, that is, a ‘semi-improvised’ switch.
2. Expedient measures and comprehensive management are not mutually exclusive. Completely impromptu legitimacy switching is not only incomprehensive, but also expensive to learn. In the ‘semi-improvised’ switching mode, since the emergency legitimacy and the consistent legitimacy are connected and well-prepared, the expedient measures used in past experience are documented and learned, enhancing our knowledge of emergency management. Our knowledge of emergency response will continue to accumulate when new emergency happens. Therefore, in the ‘semi-improvised’ emergency management thinking, expedient measures and comprehensive management are not mutually exclusive, but can be integrated and complement each other.
3. The key to all these transformations lies in the transformation of the four core structures. The transition from full improvisation to ‘semi-improvisation’ itself refers to the transition of meaning structure, which requires and drives the transition of power structure and competency structure. It also affects the corresponding transition of consciousness structure in social psychology. In this sense, ‘emergency management’ mainly refers to the management of these four structures. These are crucial for the improvement, optimization, and completion of the emergency management response.
4. Learning and refining comprehensive management thinking should be led by organizational learning and the desire for advancement. Ecologically, legitimacy switching is a means of system adjustment to achieve an intermittent equilibrium. Our social organization system also adjusts constantly towards intermittent equilibria. We should not be satisfied with status quo and always be prepared to make progress. We should never stop learning and deepening our understanding of the abovementioned four core structures, such that will we be prepared to utilize the four structures at the time of emergency, and will we be ready to face the challenge. Meanwhile, the lessons of emergency management are not confined within our own system but lie in the broad intra-system sphere. Facing the common challenges and future uncertainties encountered by mankind, major countries should strengthen cooperation and establish a shared ‘spare tire’ center. This is the vision and comprehensive management thinking that should be shared by the human community.
Source of this article: Zhou Changhui: Legitimacy Switching and Comprehensive Management Thinking: A Brief Discussion on Emergencies [J]. Tsinghua Management Review. Issue 5, 86-97. (The full text of "Xinhua Digest" No. 17, 2020 is reprinted). This presentation has been abridged.
