When an organization has to deal with a crisis, the situation almost always feels like a bolt from the blue experience.  One minute things are going along as per normal, and the next all hell breaks loose – sort of like Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941 or the Tet holiday in January 1968.

While this reaction my appear normal, the fact of the matter is the organization facing the crisis should not feel quite so blindsided, as there are almost always advance warnings for those who choose to see them.  With the benefit of hindsight organizations are able to recognize the warning signs that precede most crises.  These organizations also take steps to address the factors that led to the crisis, which while necessary, is a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Organizations that take crisis preparation seriously focus on the issues and threats that come before the crisis, as well as the preparations for the crisis itself.

For most types of crisis there is a clear pattern of increasing danger to the organization, which can be characterized as a progression from issues to threats to crisis.

Issues are relatively long-term trends that have the potential to harm the organization at the some point in the indeterminate future.  Issues may be well publicized, but they are often not immediately linked to a specific organization.  As they became better understood and their causes and/or ramifications more widely recognized, they become associated with organizations and at this point they transition to become threats.

Some examples of issues that have made the jump to threats include:

• Growing evidence of the negative health ramifications of using tobacco products
• The steady increase in childhood obesity and related non-communicable diseases
• Concerns over labor practices in Southeast Asian apparel manufacturing operations

Threats are clearly associated with an organization and should be factored into its crisis planning process.  Unfortunately, the most dangerous threats are those that are unrecognized.  For example the increasing power and unity of OPEC was a clear threat to the US economy in the early 1970’s but this was largely unrecognized until the oil embargo of 1973.  The increased quality and decreased cost of digital photography equipment posed an existential threat to traditional film manufacturers (and related industries) that remained largely unrecognized until it was too late.

For a threat to become a crisis it only requires a trigger or catalyst.  This could be any one of a thousand events such as a consumer complaint, a negative media story, a new piece of legislation, an accident on the shop floor or an O-ring failure.  The organizations that have taken the time to study the issues and threats relevant to their particular situation will obviously still face a crisis, but they will be infinitely better prepared to deal with it than those who truly feel that it has fallen on them in a deus ex machine fashion.

Of course, it is easy to say the organization should keep watch on both near and far horizons for issues and threats that may, one day, become a crisis, but there are significant challenges to acting on this advice.  Some thoughts on how to go about environmental scanning will be covered in the next post.

 

As I have noted previously, the crisis communications plan is the primary physical output of the crisis planning process.  While the specifics of the plan are determined by the nature of the organization, its industry or activity, its history, and its current environment, there is a basic structure that most plans adhere to.

The purpose of the plan is to improve the organization’s performance in dealing with an actual crisis through the creation of pre-approved materials and standard operating procedures (SOP) that can be acted on without discussion or debate.  The key to success in a crisis situation today is largely based on the speed with which the organization can respond and the coherence and efficacy of that response.  A well-structured and up-to-date plan should be able to significantly reduce response time and mitigate the risk of stress induced error on the part of the crisis communications team.  The logic of having SOPs and detailed plans has long informed military, police and other emergency service organizations.

The components of the plan will be briefly introduced below and presented in greater detail in later posts.

The Standard Components of the Crisis Communications Plan

I Introduction – A statement by senior management that reminds the readers of the organization’s mission and/or vision and reiterates the importance of the organization’s reputation.  This is often linked to a statement that crisis preparedness and response is the responsibility of every member of the organization and especially those who have been provided with the crisis communications plan.

II Instructions – A set of instructions on how to use the crisis communication plan document including a review of the logic of the document’s organization.  There is often a quick reference guide to the key elements of the plan.

III Risk Assessment – An overview of the primary types of risk facing the organization, their relative likelihood, and the mitigation steps that have been taken to address these risks.  This section should be periodically updated as the organization’s risk environment is subject to change due to a range of both internal and external factors.

IV Contact Lists – Detailed contact information, with annotation regarding previous engagements, with various stakeholders that could be relevant during a crisis situation.  These lists might include:

• The organization’s crisis team
• Other senior management
• Employee and/or union representatives
• Local police contacts
• Other emergency services
• Local regulatory contacts
• Major trade organizations
• Key media outlets (general)
• Friendly journalists/editors

V Checklists – Pre-determined checklists of immediate actions to be taken in the event of various crises.  These should include priority notifications to both internal and external stakeholders and specific information to be gathered as soon as the crisis situation is recognized.

VI Step-by-Step Procedures – A series of guides that carefully and thoroughly explain how to accomplish specific crisis communications tasks.  These should be designed at a level of detail that would allow an employee who is not a regular part of the crisis communications team to function effectively.  Examples of procedures include:

• Process for establishing the crisis communications center
• Informing and rallying the crisis communications team
• Securing approval for the initial crisis holding statement
• Issuing a press release regarding the crisis

VII Templates of Key Communications Materials – A set of ‘fill in the blank’ templates of the standard internal and external communications documents necessary for the immediate handling of a crisis situation.  These documents can be completed using the information gathered as a result of following the relevant checklist referenced in section V above.  Some of the standard communications documents include:

• Initial holding statement
• Initial media statement for company spokesperson
• Initial press release
• Q&A (for both internal and external stakeholders)

VIII Forms and Logs – A set of standard forms and log sheets to capture information that will be required for the effective handling of the crisis, reporting to internal and external stakeholders regarding actions taken during the crisis, and conducting the crisis post-mortem.  Examples of forms and logs include:

• Media call and response log
• Witness information form (for use with employees)
• Meeting notes forms
• Materials distribution log (for use with both internal and external stakeholders)

IX Background Information – A collection of materials related to the organization, its history, its products/services, management and social responsibility programs among other things.  This material can be used to facilitate the fast and accurate creation of crisis communications materials as well as be used to brief spokespeople prior to media engagements.

X Crisis Communications Center Information – Details on the specific resources that the crisis communications team can access during a crisis situation.  This would include the rooms available for their use, computers, supplies, transportation, and administrative support.  It may also include access to corporate social media accounts and websites.

XI Post-Crisis Report Format – A template report to be prepared immediately after the crisis situation has been resolved.  This template includes sections for actions taken, results and key learnings and a section on recommendations for improvement to be shared with senior management.