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This essay reconsiders the well-known thesis that, under conditions of crisis, administrative decision making becomes centralized. It discusses the theoretical and administrative underpinnings of this thesis and focuses on the role of small groups in crisis decision making, central government intervention in crisis situations, and crisis government doctrines. Using findings from recent comparative case research in crisis management, alternative patterns of governmental response to crises are outlined. These include formal and informal decentralization, non-decision making, and paralysis. This article concludes with a set of hypotheses that outline the conditions for the emergence of alternative structural patterns in coping with crises and a call for more contingent and reflective thinking about crisis management issues.