Crisis management is the whole process by which a company or an organization deals efficetively with a disruptive , dangerous and unexpected incident or event that totally threatens or harm the organization or its stakeholders.
The histiry of studing crisis management originated with large-scale corporational and industrial as well as environmental disasters in the 20th century specially during1980s.
It is globally considered to be the most important process in the domain of public relations.
Three elements are common to a crisis:
(a) An abvious threat to the organization.
(b) The important element of surprise.
(c) A noticeable short decision time.
Many scholars argue that “crisis is a process of transformation and change where the old and conventiobal systems can no longer be sustained or maintained”.
For that reasob, the fourth defining element is the urgent need for change.
If change is not merely needed, then the event could more accurately and specifically be described as a failure or problem or incident.
Risk management is different from crisis
management.
Crisis management is a dangerous situation that
could affect the facility , workers or company in
general.
The crisis could be :
1. Technical issues: like electricity problems , systemfailure or internet issues .
2.Employees disatisfaction : conflict between the
employees .
3.Violence in the workplace .
4.Crime : scandals or thefts .
5.Financial problems.
6.Illegal behaviors : fraud , Leakage of information
about the company.
7.Natural events : heavy rains or earthquakes .
Also neglecting minor issues can lead to huge problems in the future so it’s better to work on every issue one we
notice them.
8-Majorerrorist attacks or man-made catastrophes.
Therefore every organization needs a crisis management
team who can put a plan to how the company can
survive under any of the above circumstances .
Contingency Planning and crisis management.
It is the ability to predict what would happen in the future, when , where and also how would we face this crisis.
Preparing and developing contingency plans in advance, as part of a crisis-management plan, is the first initial step to ensuring a company is appropriately prepared and ready for a crisis.
Crisis-management teams can rehearse a crisis plan by developing a simulated scenario to use as a drill.
The plan should clearly defines everybody’s role and stipulate that the only people allowed to speak to the public about the crisis are the designated persons only, such as the company spokesperson or PR manager or crisis team members.
Practical steps and takeaways :
These guidelines are based on the work of Gonzalez-Herrero and Pratt whom founded the different phases of Crisis Management theory.
-Identify the key reasons behind the crisis through clear diagnosis of the impending trouble or the early danger signals.
-Choosing an appropriate Turnaround Strategy to deal with these causes and symptoms.
-Implementation of the wholistic change process and its monitoring.
Final lesson:
Hilburg ensures that every crisis is a good opportunity to showcase an organization’s character, its commitment to its mission ; brand and promise as well as institutional values.
