Seeking a common definition of "Crisis"

[Van]

After bandying the word about in professional conversation, another group I talk with had a blinding flash of the obvious; we didn't check to make sure we had a common definition of "crisis". Sure enough, we didn't. Of course, since I opened my mouth...

I've looked up several dictionary definitions, and that's all well and good, but without refering to dictionaries, thesauri, etc. what are the defining characteristics of 'crisis' to you? What distinguishes crisis from routine or unexpected but not crisis? As I've said, I've heard several thoughts, but I'd like to hear from a different group of folks who are smarter than me.

Thanks!

[MattM]

Sarcasm on:

A crisis occurs when there is a lull in the overnight ratings for a cable television news program or syndicate. The loss of market share and advertising revenue will subsequently cause a situation to become a crisis, complete with specialized graphics, hyper-activity in the "background" newsroom, and on-location reporters.

Sarcasm off:

Just as the Center for Disease Control has specific characteristics that differ pandemics from epidemics, which state entity would be charged with investigating a situation and making the declaration of its nature (rescue op, situation, crisis, disaster, etc)? My first guess is Department of Homeland Security, but that is not necessarily the best option.

[Tom Odom]

After bandying the word about in professional conversation, another group I talk with had a blinding flash of the obvious; we didn't check to make sure we had a common definition of "crisis". Sure enough, we didn't. Of course, since I opened my mouth...

I've looked up several dictionary definitions, and that's all well and good, but without refering to dictionaries, thesauri, etc. what are the defining characteristics of 'crisis' to you? What distinguishes crisis from routine or unexpected but not crisis? As I've said, I've heard several thoughts, but I'd like to hear from a different group of folks who are smarter than me.

Thanks!

I know that we used to have a multi-stage system for intra-Army staff and interservice and interagency crisis management. Committees, working groups, etc etc all grew according to the nature of the crisis as did the attendant rank structure. I would assume (there's that A-word!) something still exists.

There was in all of this a level of leadership specified to declare a "crisis" in the first place. My own personal experience in the 1990 Iraq-Kuwait crisis was that the intel agencies(CIA, DIA) and State INR had in house teams that grew as we became more certain an Iraqi invasion would take place. As the current intel analyst for the ARSTAFF on the Mid East, I was the Army's crisis group until a deployment order was issued and the Army Operations Center established a crisis working group.

Long winded answer I recognize, one I am not sure is of direct value.

Tom

[slapout9]

I am not sure where I heard this or if I have it right but it was something like this. When an existing system is unable to cope with a current event in which there will be heavy loss of life and property.I think this came from a risk management class I went to some time ago but I am not sure and I may have screwed it up.

[selil]

I love ontological semantics...

What is crisis?

We can describe crisis within the scope of a particular situation that we define fully. There is a big difference between the scope and definition of the crisis at homeland security, and the fact I'm creating a crisis ruining my daughters life on a daily basis (according to her).

We can define what is NOT a crisis within the scope of a particular situation (everything is fine, cue the Jimmy Buffet music, Margaritas for everybody).

We can look at what is like a crisis (me ruining my daughters life, my son actually buying a car, Manson escaping prison) and come up with similarities in the situations.

We can look at the make up of the word and define it according to common use. Likely making nobody happy and arguing much.

On most message boards we can just put up a Wikipedia entry and call it good, of course I'll go edit the wiki entry to say (and john doe is a fool too).

In ontologies we can look at what kind of object it is, verb, noun, etc.. define it as a mental object, physical object, etc. and keep on going.

Chances are the word is an over used modifier in most peoples languages and it has NO meaning. That's a hard one to accept but it becomes true of buzz words rapidly. Leading of course to euphemisms and other perversities of language.

[Dominique R. Poirier]

Since I found your question as original as amusing I tried myself on it in introducing a bit of humor in my reflection.

Crisis is a word of bad omen expressing a relatively short lapse of time of variable duration during which events of chaotic nature, or perceived as such, arise; and whose outcome is either a return to the situation preceding it or a material or/and immaterial loss.

Also:

Crisis expresses a human negative perception of fast incidence of chaos or of an event or a chain of events perceived as such.

Or still shorter:

Crisis expresses the spontaneous appearance of chaos in an organized environment.


P.S.: is there a prize, or will you name a winner?

[selil]

Crisis can also be ....

That time between saying "oh no!" and "I have no recollection of those events".