CASE STUDY
Executive Team Decision-Making Under Pressure
CORENTUS CLIENT CASES | EFFECTIVE TEAMING CASE STUDY | Executive Team Decision-Making Under Pressure
Team coaching—when lives are literally on the line.
Oxfam America: Team Coaching for Rapid Crisis Response
In March 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, followed by a devastating tsunami along the country’s eastern coast and catastrophic destruction at the Fukushima nuclear power facility.
Years earlier, in 2004, another massive earthquake and tsunami had revealed gaps in Oxfam’s ability to respond rapidly and communicate effectively during crisis. Oxfam America’s role in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami response had been slowed by a lack of structure around decision-making and donor communications. That experience became a turning point.
By the time Jim Daniell joined as COO in 2009, Oxfam America had begun investing in its ability to respond more effectively. Just before the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the organization had engaged Corentus CEO Alexander Caillet to support executive team coaching, alongside new crisis management protocols. These included clearly defined roles, decision rights, and processes that were actively practiced and reinforced.
When the Crisis Hit
On the Monday morning following the 2011 Japan disaster, the Oxfam America senior leadership team gathered for their standing meeting. The team quickly identified the event as a critical issue requiring action.
Rather than open the discussion to the entire leadership group, a small, pre-designated team stepped in. This structure had been planned in advance and reflected the organization’s recent investment in team development. The principle was simple: Voice, yes. Vote, no. Only those with decision authority would drive the process.
A Fast, Aligned Decision-Making Process
The main meeting ended 15 minutes early, allowing the smaller team to quickly regroup and move through a focused decision process. The key questions:
Should Oxfam America launch a public appeal?
What would be the purpose of the appeal?
Where would the funds be directed?
Given Japan’s status as a developed country, the team discussed whether additional funds would be useful. They considered two primary options: pooling the funds for future emergencies (a model Oxfam America had used before), or directing them to Oxfam Japan, a local advocacy and fundraising organization.
Clear Roles, Clear Decisions
Each team member acted within clearly defined responsibilities:
The head of humanitarian response decided to move forward with an appeal.
The head of advancement determined that all funds raised would go directly to Oxfam Japan, with nothing retained by Oxfam America.
The head of direct marketing took responsibility for coordinating messaging with the broader Oxfam network.
The team agreed that public messaging would be transparent: Oxfam America would not be delivering food or supplies, but instead supporting efforts already underway through Oxfam Japan.
The entire decision-making process took roughly 15 minutes.
Applying What Had Been Practiced
With decisions made, a senior leader prepared to join a coordination call with fundraising leaders from across the global Oxfam network. He presented the rationale and path forward that had been agreed to internally, providing clarity and structure to a conversation where other teams were still exploring options, despite having a six-hour head start.
According to Jim Daniell, this kind of clarity and speed would not have been possible without the investment in team coaching and structured crisis response planning. The work had been done in advance, and it paid off when every minute mattered.