Integrating Human Resource Leadership into Crisis Management Education: Enhancing Effectiveness in the Food and Beverage Industry in Malaysia

Companies are looking at novel ways to organize and manage people as the challenges of managing across borders get more complex. It is not only wise but also necessary to comprehend and utilize HR’s talents throughout difficult circumstances to guarantee long-term business results and uphold stakeholder confidence. Thus, Human Resource leaders play a pivotal role in determining organizational performance, as well as in shaping how organizations prepare for, respond to, and recover from a crisis. The objective of this study is to understand the barriers that influence the effectiveness of crisis management, particularly in sense-making, critical decision-making, coordinating and meaning- making. The study employs a qualitative methodology, using a case study approach. Semi-structured interviews were used with 16 strategic decision-makers from ten different crisis management organizations mainly from the Food and Beverage industry in Malaysia. Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) was used to explore how the organizations overcome the crisis and the role of HR in facilitating crisis management. This study revealed that various barriers hamper the crisis management process such as demand for a swift decision making, having the right talent, knowledge and skills in handling crisis, inconsistent information, demand for Human Resource Management (HRM) to provide training, rewards, emotional support in response to crisis and others. This paper contends that when there is an absence of role in managing a crisis, unclear or ambiguities among people and their behavioural readiness in a crisis, this may lead towards failure of effective crisis management.