Category: Professional Development

[Editor’s note: Many thanks to frequent contributor Tony Jaques for allowing us to use this article, originally published in his Issue}Outcomes newsletter. Tony often covers news out of Australia and the surrounding regions which lets us take a look at great crisis management case studies we may not have seen otherwise.]

Crisis or disaster? IT has helped blur the language

It’s time business stopped misusing the word disaster, and the IT industry needs to take a good share of the blame.

Most recently, an April post on the Hewlett Packard Insights blog, declared: “In general, anything that significantly impairs day to day work can be considered a disaster.” The reality is, No, it can’t!

Writer Wayne Rash went on to say: “It’s worth noting that a disaster in this (IT) context does not necessarily mean widespread destruction, loss of life, or general catastrophe. What a disaster means to you is defined by what interferes with your operations to the point that it endangers your business and thus requires a disaster recovery response.”

What Mr Rash is saying just might, maybe make sense in the IT world where such language is common, but it’s bleeding into general management usage, and that’s a big problem.

Of course the IT industry can’t take all the blame for devaluing the word disaster. Contrary to typical news media headlines, losing a crucial football match is not a disaster, nor is a temporary fall in a company’s share price. In fact, in recent times, the word ‘disaster’ has progressed from being devalued to being entirely trivialised.

A celebrity posting an unwise twitter message is now labelled as a ‘PR disaster’ or a ‘social media disaster,’ while a Hollywood star choosing the wrong dress for a red-carpet event becomes a ‘fashion disaster.’

This language is genuinely unhelpful and distracts attention from serious matters of real concern. Consider by contrast the United Nations definition of a disaster as: “A serious disruption of the functioning of a society, causing widespread human, material or environmental losses and exceeding the coping capacities of the affected communities and government.” Or within a business context, the Dutch crisis experts Arjen Boin and Paul ’t Hart say: “A disaster is a crisis with a devastating ending.” Anything less just doesn’t quality.

While there is clearly a massive difference between a pop culture ‘disaster’ and a true societal or organisational disaster, contamination of broader business language by misuse of the word has serious consequences for issue and crisis managers.

A key consequence arises from the widespread belief in the IT world that the answer to just about every such problem is a disaster recovery plan. As Mr Rash put it: “A disaster recovery response is the set of actions your organisation must take to continue operations in the face of an unforeseen event.”

Business continuity and operational recovery are vital, but they are just one tactical element of an organisation’s crisis management process. The modern approach to crisis management recognises that it should encompass crisis preparedness and prevention; crisis response; and post-crisis management (of which operational recovery is one part). And that it applies to every type of crisis – financial, organisational, legal, political and reputational, not just operational.

We all love IT and the wonders the digital world can bring to issue and crisis management. But any organisation which says: “We have a great business continuity plan so we are crisis- prepared” is in line for a very big and very costly surprise.

Tony Jaques manages Australian-based issue and crisis management consultancy Issue}Outcomes, and is the author of Issues and Crisis Management: Exploring Issues, Crises, Risk and Reputation, available on Amazon now.

If you want to learn a skill you look to an expert. In this case we’ll look at the emergency response preparedness and action outline created by the World Food Programme. Though it’s created to meet a very specific goal – making certain people are fed – the structure serves as a good base for most emergencies you might encounter.

[Click image to enlarge]

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

Knowing how communication works, and what’s best right now, is essential to quality crisis communications. Let this infographic from Atlassian take you on a trip through the ages right up through today as they look at how communication has changed through with time and technology:

Infographic produced by Atlassian

The Incident Command System (ICS) was first developed in the 70’s to help organize the process of communications during federal disaster response efforts. Of course the system today looks little like it did when it was first made, and the ICS is now part of the larger National Interagency Incident Management System (NIIMS). Although the ICS does does remain a bit rigid for the needs of modern crisis management, it is a strong framework for anyone looking to develop a plan or quickly engage in managing a crisis situation.

Here is an overview of the general structure of ICS, as well as responsibilities assigned to each role, provided by FEMA.gov:

Responsibilities of the Components of the ICS Organization

In an incident, the Incident Commander manages the entire incident and:

• Assesses the situation.
• Establishes objectives.
• Ensures overall safety.
• Communicates with internal and external stakeholders.
• Organizes resources.
• Develops a strategy or plan for handling the incident, monitors it in process, and adjusts the plan as needed.
• Ensures proper documentation.
• Appoints additional staff as necessary.

The Command Staff provides information, safety, and liaison services:

• The Public Information Officer is the conduit for information to internal and external stakeholders, including the media.
• The Safety Officer is responsible for the systems and procedures necessary to ensure assessment of hazardous environments, coordination of multiagency safety efforts, and the promotion of emergency responder and general safety.
• The Liaison Officer coordinates efforts with other agencies assisting at an incident and monitors for any problems between the organization and other agencies.

The General Staff performs functional activities:

• The Operations Section is responsible for all tactical activities focused on reducing the hazard, saving lives and property, establishing control, and restoring normal operations.
• The Planning Section supports the incident action planning process by tracking resources, collecting/analyzing information, and maintaining documentation.
• The Logistics Section manages resources including supplies, personnel, and equipment.
• The Finance/Administration Section monitors costs related to the incident, and provides accounting, procurement, time recording, and cost analyses.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

Don’t take unnecessary damage due to flaws in customer service

Whether you’re looking at customer service from the perspective of a business owner, customer, or crisis management consultant, it’s clear that providing quality service is important. Especially in a time where it’s just as easy – and often easier – to order something from home with no human interaction at all, how your customers are treated makes a massive difference. We all know that angry customers will take to review sites at the drop of a hat, but what are some other consequences of shoppers being upset with their treatment at the hands of your brand? This Better Business Bureau infographic explains:

[Click image to enlarge]

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

You know crises are coming. You know crises are coming. Yet it’s so hard to get moving when it comes to preparedness. It’s certainly human nature, but anyone who’s been burned once by not being ready to face a sticky situation will tell you they wish they’d been prepared. If you’re not ready you’re not alone, as this infographic from the CDC will show, but don’t let that encourage you to sit back and relax! After all, being prepared is the #1 way to reduce the damage done by crises, as well as the costs involved, benefits you don’t want to miss out on.

[Click to enlarge]

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

Artificial intelligence is being designed to assist with everything from making breakfast to driving our cars. In other words, the technology is flexible, and that’s exactly what makes it so attractive to researchers who are working to develop ways to apply AI to assist in emergency situations. In what is likely to be an interesting read for anyone in the fields, the below collection of data from EKU Online takes a look at how AI may be able to help with disaster and emergency management:

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]