Combating Crisis with Organizational Compassion Intelligence and Virtue Framing

When an unprecedented crisis strikes, neither individuals nor organizations are prepared. Hence, organizations must demonstrate agility in devising strategies to face the challenges posed by the unexpected crisis. An essential aspect of any crisis management plan is the compassion that organizations can show towards employees impacted by the crisis. In this research case, we focus on a single higher education institution to understand what enabled it to enact compassion initiatives over an extended period of collective crisis, overcoming bureaucratic hurdles, fears of personal safety and the paucity of helping hands. These initiatives were undertaken for its direct employees and several social communities impacted by the pandemic. Using an inductive process, we interviewed four focal actors who initiated, planned and executed several initiatives for internal and external stakeholders. The inductive analysis of the interview transcripts brought forward the concept of organizational compassion intelligence inculcated through a combination of individual actors’ personal traits and organizational practices that foster a culture of compassion.