Public crisis management during COVID-19: an empirical analysis of professional and volunteer emergency responders in Germany

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PurposeCrises such as the 2015–2016 European refugee crisis and the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) represent creeping crises that public organisations manage. Yet both scholars and practitioners lack insight into how well public organisations manage creeping crises that lead to a new normal and whether professionals and volunteers differ in their crisis response.Design/methodology/approachUsing survey data from 112 professional and volunteer emergency responders in Germany, this study examines how crisis-induced reforms and challenges during COVID-19 affected their crisis response. This study uses partial least squares structural equation modelling to evaluate the relationships among crisis-induced reforms and challenges and both crisis response proficiency and collaboration intention.FindingsCrisis-induced reforms support both crisis response proficiency and collaboration intention, while organisational challenges weaken response proficiency. A group comparison reveals that whereas professional responders are more likely to manage crises better than volunteer responders, volunteer responders are more predisposed to engage in future stakeholder collaboration.Practical implicationsPublic sector organisations need to embrace opportunities for better crisis response through crisis-induced reforms. Additionally, policymakers need to acknowledge the differing capabilities and support needs of both professional and volunteer emergency responders.Originality/valueThis study provides insights into creeping crisis management by analysing crisis response proficiency and collaboration for two typical crisis responders: emergency response professionals and volunteers. While demonstrating that crisis response proficiency is more realistic in a professional setting, whereas volunteers more strongly focus on collaboration, the study presents a differentiated view of public crisis responders.