Leadership in Crisis: An Exploration of the British Petroleum Case

Abstract

This article explores the issue of organization crisis management within the British Petroleum when the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon oil rig ruptured in the Gulf of Mexico with an explosion that killed eleven rig workers and triggered the largest environmental disaster in North America. A brief overview of the historical development of British Petroleum is presented, and an analysis of the present crisis situation in which the organization found itself is presented in some detail. It was concluded that British Petroleum is now in a very difficult position in the chronic crisis stage due to the failure of its management to facilitate a timely response to the malfunctions of its vehicles. This is an excellent example of crisis mismanagement by a previously recognized world leader.

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