crises management

CRISES COMMUNICATION
A crisis is any situation that threatens the integrity or reputation of your company, usually brought on by adverse or negative media attention. These situations can be any kind of legal dispute, theft, accident, fire, flood or manmade disaster that could be attributed to your company. It can also be a situation where in the eyes of the media or general public your company did not react to one of the above situations in the appropriate manner. This definition is not all encompassing but rather is designed to give you an idea for the types of situations where you may need to follow this plan. http://www3.niu.edu/newsplace/crisis.html#1
NOTE: - One thing to remember that is crucial in a crisis is telling it all, tell it fast and tell the truth. If you do this you have done all you can to minimize the situation.

Common elements of crises:

v The element of surprise
v Insufficient information
v The quick pace of events
v Intense scrutiny

Crisis Communication Plans:

v Determine whether a response is warranted
v Communicate facts about the crisis
v Minimize rumors
v Restore order and confidence

The Crisis Communication Team

• This team is essential to identify what actions should be taken. The team should be comprised of individuals who are key to the situation. They should include as a minimum the CEO, the chief of Public Relations, the Vice President, the Senior manager from the division in charge of the area that was involved in the situation that has brought about the crisis, the safety and/or security officer, the organization Lawyer, and anyone else who might be able to shed some light on the situation such as eye witnesses.
  The most challenging part of crisis communication management is reacting - with the right response - quickly. This is because behavior always precedes communication. Non-behavior or inappropriate behavior leads to spin, not communication.
  Examining the dimensions of a crisis, which executives can clearly recognize and relate to, helps the public relations counselor provide truly meaningful, strategic advice. It is this kind of analytical approach that helps senior management avoid career-defining moments, unless the moments are deserved.

Non-behavior or inappropriate behavior leads to spin, not communication. In emergencies, it's the non-action and the resulting spin that cause embarrassment, humiliation, prolonged visibility, and unnecessary litigation.

How to communicate during crises: -

Step1: Get control of the situation
Step2: Gather as much information as possible
Step3: Set up a centralized crises management center
Step4: -communication early and offend
Step5: -Understand the media’s mission in crises
Step6; -communicate directly with affected constituents
Step7: -remember that business must continue
Step8: -Make plans to avoid another crises immediately


Examples: -

v 11 sep 2001:terror attack on world trade center
v 1982 Johnson &Johnson’s Tylenol recall
v 1990:The Perrier benzene scare
v 1929:Great depression worldwide
v 1993: Pepsi-cola syringe crises


The Dimensions of a Crisis

True crises have several critical dimensions in common, any one of which, if handled poorly, can disrupt or perhaps destroy best efforts at managing any remaining opportunities to resolve the situation and recover, rehabilitate, or retain reputation. Failure to respond and communicate in ways that meet community standards and expectations will result in a series of negative outcomes. The seven critical dimensions of crisis communication management are: -http://www.e911.com/monos/A001.html

The operations dimension: -

Regaining public confidence following a damaging situation first requires operating decisions that alleviate the community's anguish; restore confidence in the brand, organization, individual, or activity; and rebuild relationships - especially with the victims - while at the same time reducing media coverage of the story because the organization, which created the situation, is actually doing what the community expects.

The victim management dimension

When organizational action creates involuntary adverse circumstances for people or institutions, victims are created. Victims have a special mentality and their perception and behavior is altered in ways that are fundamentally predictable. Victims designate themselves. They also determine when they are no longer victims.


The trust and credibility dimension

Credibility is conferred by others based on an organization's past behavior. When bad things happen, past behavior is used to predict future actions. When past behaviors have been good and helpful, and current and future behaviors don't match those expectations, there's a loss of credibility.

The behavior dimension

Post-crisis analysis involving hundreds of companies, industries, and negative circumstances reveals a pattern of unhelpful behaviors that work against rebuilding or preserving reputation, trust, and credibility. The greater the negative nature of the incident and the greater the number of victims, the more opportunities there are for trust-busting behaviors to occur. Good crisis plans are structured to work directly against, anticipate, and eliminate negative behavior patterns.


The professional expectation dimension

What is often omitted in analyses of crisis situations is a comparison of the behaviors and actions of public relations professionals against the standards set by their industry. Increasingly in litigation, juries look to industry standards and practices to help determine a factual basis for damages and compensation. Community expectations as reflected in codes of conduct and codes of ethics are useful analytical and response tools. This section looks at the BurgerMax situation from the perspective of the Public Relations

The ethical dimension

There is a moral dimension to crisis management. Business organizations and institutions are excepted to have consciences and to act in ways that reinforce this public expectation. That's why whenever there are victims; someone has to be held accountable.

The lessons-learned dimension

Successfully managing future crises often depends on the intentionally created institutional memory the public relations counselor brings to the managing executive's attention. Most crises cannot be avoided. The lessons learned approach teaches the organization how to forecast, mitigate, or perhaps even significantly reduce the likelihood of a similar situation occurring or reoccurring.


Personal experience:-I live in Haryana, when I was 12 years old. I went without informing my parents and without having much money to Delhi that is around 80 miles away from my native with my friends. Even I was not aware of the way but I went and finally I parked my car near a market known as Palika Bazaar when I came out after shopping I lost my car, that was a big crises from me.

References: -

http://www3.niu.edu/newsplace/crisis.html#1
-http://www.e911.com/monos/A001.html
Corporate communication by Paul A. Argenti