ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a review of the literature crucial to understanding the impact of key inputs into the success or failure of crisis management. It commences by providing a brief review of engagement with whole of government within public sector discourse in order to frame discussions about this mode of working when applied to crisis situations. There has been a significant amount of literature written regarding whole of government and its application in various countries and contexts, where it has been posited as a paradigm shift in public administration. The chapter provides an overview of six key thematic areas which provide explanatory power around the success or failure of crises: the nature of crisis management, leadership, coordination, organisational culture, social capital and the role of institutions. It presents an analysis of the literature on crisis management framed within a context of understanding problems and solutions, governance methods and ideal versus practical modes of working.
