The Onion Model: An Overview
The Onion Model looks at an organization as having four separate, interdependent layers. Like an onion, the outer layer is the most visible and is responsible for interfacing with the outside world. It is at this level where organizational strategies including ideas for handling crisis management occur.
The strategies at play on the outer layer (layer 4) of the onion determine how the organization interacts with the outside world. Whether or not the organization's strategies are effective, however, is determined largely by the underlying layers which tend to influence their nature.
Layer three deals with organizational infrastructure. The everyday operation of the organization determines how susceptible it will be to a crisis and forms the underpinnings of any crisis management plan. If appropriate infrastructure is not in place, the organization could prove to be volatile and will be unable to support an effective crisis management strategy even if one is in place at layer four.
Continuing toward the organizational core is the organization's culture. Although more abstract than the outer two layers, the Onion Model postulates that a pathological organizational culture will result in volatile daily operations which in turn will result in a problem with crisis management. Attitudes about communication, error handling, integrity, and customer service are all part of the culture of an organization that will determine how its operations and strategies play out over time.
Finally, at the core of the organization is the organization's personnel. The overall effectiveness of the organization and its ability to survive a crisis is dependent on each human resource. From the leaders of the organization to its staffers at every level, if there is a lack of good people with solid experience and the ability to respond to increasing and changing demands, the company is doomed, even if the fundamentals of the other layers are sound.
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