Evaluation of Performance of the Applied Science Centers of the Iranian Red Crescent Society Concerning Crisis Management

BACKGROUND: The present study was conducted with the aim to evaluate the performance of the applied science centers of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) in crisis management. METHODS: In this descriptive-survey study, 167 out of 295 managers and experts of the applied science centers of the IRCS were selected on the basis of the Cochran formula. To examine the study variables, a questionnaire including 37 items and 2 parts evaluating performance and crisis management was employed. The financial, customer, internal processes, and growth and learning performances were measured in the performance assessment section, and the 6 dimensions of flexibility, inclusion, trust, risk perception, fairness, and consistency were measured in the crisis management part. The reliability, content validity, and construct validity of the questionnaires were confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, a group of university professors, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), respectively. Then, inferential statistical methods such as the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test were used to ensure the normal distribution of data, and the structural equation model, Pearson correlation test, chi-square test, two-sample t-test, and one-sample t-test were used in the LISREL and SPSS software to test the hypotheses. RESULTS: The performance of the applied science centers of the IRCS in crisis management was higher than the average level based on the balanced scorecard (BSC) model. In addition, in terms of the 4 characteristics of financial performance, customer performance, internal process performance, and growth and learning performance, the crisis management performance of this organization was at a desirable level. CONCLUSION: It seems that policymakers, while maintaining the current situation, should plan for the development of crisis management, as well as for providing the ground for continuous improvement and better performance in this area.