New Schulich Research Examines How Societies Navigate ‘Omnicrises’ and Rebuild a New Normal
Study explores how major disruptions such as pandemics, financial crises and wars reshape institutions and redefine expertise
TORONTO, ON – Tuesday, June 23, 2026 – New research from York University’s Schulich School of Business sheds light on how crises that begin as isolated events can evolve into far-reaching societal upheavals that transform the way communities function.
In a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Management titled “Crises Unbound: Institutions, Occupational Groups, and the Construction of Omnicrises,”, Schulich Professor of Sustainability and Organization Maxim Voronov and co-author Gerardo Patriotta from the University of Bath introduce the concept of “omnicrisis” – a form of systemic disruption that transcends organizational boundaries and destabilizes the institutional structures that ordinarily provide communities with a sense of stability, continuity and predictability.
Unlike conventional crises that are largely confined to individual organizations or industries, omnicrises trigger cascading effects across multiple domains of social life and require the coordinated efforts of experts and professional groups from diverse sectors to restore order and establish what the researchers describe as a “new normal.”
“Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the global financial crisis, or armed conflicts rarely remain confined to a single sphere,” said Voronov. “They quickly spill across social, economic and political domains, challenging our assumptions about who has the authority and expertise to respond. In many ways, these are crises of authority as much as they are crises of events.”
The researchers argue that omnicrises emerge when established relationships among professional mandates, jurisdictions and expertise become misaligned, creating uncertainty over who should lead, interpret and manage unfolding threats. As competing groups negotiate authority, societies experience a broader erosion of confidence in the institutions that normally provide order and predictability.
“People tend to take for granted that institutions work and that experts know what to do,” said Voronov. “But when those assumptions break down, communities lose their sense of stability and continuity. The challenge is not simply solving the immediate problem, but restoring confidence that society itself can function effectively.”
The study identifies four characteristics that distinguish an omnicrisis: disruptions that span multiple institutional domains, the erosion of social stability, competing claims to authority among occupational groups, and the need for coordinated repair efforts involving diverse forms of expertise.
According to Voronov, the end of an omnicrisis does not mean returning to the world that existed before the disruption occurred. “Major crises rarely end with a restoration of the status quo,” he said. “What emerges instead is a new normal. Through negotiation, adaptation and collective learning, societies establish new arrangements and new understandings that allow people to once again experience everyday life as stable and predictable.”
The researchers noted that understanding how expertise is negotiated and how trust is restored will become increasingly important in an era characterized by climate change, geopolitical instability, cyber threats and other systemic risks.
