Firefighting Management (FM)
(Crisis Response / Organizational Culture)
A workplace culture where employees and managers spend most of their time resolving urgent crises rather than working on long-term solutions. This creates an environment where being constantly overwhelmed is mistaken for being productive.
Examples from practice
A company where employees regularly work overtime to fix preventable issues; a team that celebrates solving problems without questioning why they occurred in the first place.
Advantages
Develops problem-solving skills; creates a sense of urgency.
Disadvantages
Encourages short-term fixes over systemic improvements; leads to burnout.