Citation
Wal-Mart to the rescue: Private enterprise's response to Hurricane Katrina
TL;DR
Local Walmart managers provided emergency supplies autonomously
Case study of Walmart's Hurricane Katrina response illustrating both the advantages and limitations of centralized architecture - local managers taking initiative outside centralized protocol demonstrated value of distributed decision-making in crisis.
Key Findings from Horwitz (2009)
- Local Walmart managers provided emergency supplies autonomously
- Initiative operated outside centralized protocol initially
- Company later celebrated local initiative
- Illustrates tension between centralized efficiency and local responsiveness