Organizational Response to COVID-19 Crisis: Reflections on the Chinese Bureaucracy and Its Resilience
Xueguang Zhou
Abstract
At the initial epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese governments, both central and local, responded to the outbreak in Wuhan, with the drastic measure of the lockdown of the entire city of 11 million residents. The moment of organizational response to crisis crystalized the fundamentals of Chinese bureaucracy, its bureaucratic processes, dispositions, and mentalities, as it had to haphazardly patch together segments of formal and informal practice for mobilization. In this commentary, I reflect on what we have learned about Chinese bureaucracy in this dramatic episode.
Topics & Concepts
Resilience (materials science)BureaucracyCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Content (measure theory)Action (physics)Crisis managementContent analysisBusinessPublic relationsPolitical scienceSociologyLawSocial scienceMedicineMathematicsMathematical analysisPoliticsPhysicsPathologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)ThermodynamicsQuantum mechanicsDiseaseEmployment and Welfare StudiesSupply Chain Resilience and Risk ManagementRegional resilience and development