Commonwealth and Crisis: Embracing Evolution

Abstract

The Commonwealth has a history of crises: 1949, 1965, the 1970s through the 80s, 1991 and 2009. Each of these points will be examined: their historical context, the challenges and changes, and the actions it took to meet these challenges. Analysis of these points indicates that the Commonwealth is a reactive and adaptive organization that is affected by, and strives to affect, world events; that it is shaped and influenced by its members, and that crises have resulted in the Commonwealth re-focusing and revising itself. The primary suggestions are that the Commonwealth generate a culture of constant revision, while simultaneously focusing its principles and values. It may also adopt better forecasting measures as organizational theory suggests, so that it can remain an agile organization. The dissertation will also compare the OIF, the CPLP and the OEI and will draw forth lessons that these organizations can learn from the Commonwealth’s history of crisis.