So you think it will never happen to you?  You are not alone.  Surveys repeatedly show that businesses fail to plan for what might go wrong.  Instead most prefer to hope the worst will never happen.

Unfortunately, a crisis situation could arise at any time and the key to successful crisis management is in the planning, which is best done before, rather than after the event.   Remember, your business will be judged not by whether you have a crisis, but how you deal with it when you do.

Because it is impossible to predict the vast number of crises that could happen, it is important to devise a system which outlines personnel, procedures and policies that should go into action, whatever the situation.

Your first step should be to establish a multi-disciplinary team – a crisis team - comprising legal, technical, PR and relevant industry experts.  The purpose of this team is to centralise information, both incoming and outgoing, and act upon it.  The team must have the authority to make decisions and communicate information; firstly to senior members of staff who can then pass on information to employees at all levels, and secondly to people outwith the organisation whom the crisis will affect. 

The formation of a crisis team will benefit senior directors who may need to concentrate their efforts on dealing with those people and organisations directly affected by the crisis.

For your crisis team to work effectively, it must be supported by clear internal communication procedures.  This will ensure all employees from board level to delivery driver know the facts.  Your workforce must be kept informed to avoid the potentially damaging effects of the rumour mill; you don’t want your receptionist saying, “Well, I heard….”  You need to ensure that the internal communications network is sufficient to support the messages you wish to communicate from your crisis team.

The next step is to think about the types of crises that could potentially hit your company and what the effects would be.   It is here that you have to play devil’s advocate, and be honest about what the public, customers and suppliers would think about you in the event of a crisis.  Failure to do this will result in a lack of ability to handle the crisis if it really happens.  A good way to get started is to have a brainstorming session with your crisis team.

It may also become apparent at this stage that you will need to bring in external resources.  Fresh eyes looking at your company from an outside perspective may be more able to spot potential crises more easily, as their thinking will not be constrained by preconceptions.

The third step is to develop a plan of action.  Your crisis team must meet regularly to keep up-to-date with company activities, constantly review your crisis management approach and monitor the external influences on potential crises.

So what are good and bad examples of managing a crisis?  When you try to remember a well managed crisis, it is more difficult than you would at first think.  The reason: if a crisis has been well managed we won’t remember it as a “crisis”. 

Crisis management is certainly not about trying to manipulate the truth or shifting the blame to somebody else.  If the facts point towards you being responsible, no amount of spin is going to change the situation.  The reality of our society is that we are living in an increasingly litigious “blame culture”, and we are all guilty as public, customers and victims – we want to see heads roll and financial compensation.

Interestingly, one survey reported that when company bosses were asked which external advisers they would first call on in the event of their reputation being threatened, twice as many said law firms than PR consultancies.  While this could be regarded as a natural reaction to a challenge to key areas of your business, the importance of communication at a crisis time must not be underestimated.  Ensure that your second call is to a PR consultant. 

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