Crisismanagement

Crisis, Issues and Reputation Management

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Author: Andrew Griffin

In this book the author analyzes the links between issues, incidents and reputation. In addition, crisis management also comes to the surface. A crisis can arise from the issues or incidents, and can threaten the reputation. This book is therefore relevant in the current time frame in which organizations function. This is because these are increasingly occurring issues since the rise of social media.

The book is divided into two large parts.

A first part exposes the links between issues and incidents. This both in an external and internal context. The author further divides the issues in negative and positive, each with a possible reactive or proactive approach. This part ends with an overview of inter-related risks, or how internal and external issues and incidents can overlap during a crisis. All this is upholstered with a large number of examples.

So far the theoretical part.

The second part starts with an overview of the course of the reputation cycle before, during and after a crisis. The big steps are:

  1. Prediction, including the scanning of the horizon, the interests of the stakeholders, reputation assessments.
  2. Prevent, with, among other things, a reputation-risk architecture, training, awareness
  3. Being prepared for the crisis
  4. Solution, with issues management and change management
  5. Respond with strategic crisis management and crisis communication and
  6. Recovery with a lessons-based and performance improvement, the re-acquisition of trust and the changes in organization and strategy.

Each of these six steps is subsequently explored in a chapter. But actually every chapter is worth a book.

One of the biggest take-away messages of the book is that in a crisis for the organization there is always the opportunity to change and adapt.

Crisis Communications – The Definitive Guide To Managing The Message

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Author: Steven Fink

In 34 chapters, the author explains what crisis communication is about. Everyone knows

  • We Know;
  • We Care;
  • We Do;
  • We’ll be Back.

But if it stays there you miss a lot. Note: We know, care, do, be back is already a good start if you are just in crisis. The problem originates when you put in too many stereotypical phrases. Then the crowd reacts with ‘Yeah, right!’. This also happens if you want to say ‘We’re sorry’ and give it a wrong turn.

Communication is so much more, and pay attention, not everyone can do it. But some positions in the organization (CEOs often) have to show up under certain circumstances. The pitfall of ‘No comment!’ and the like is often there then. The book therefore starts with an example of how it should not be: “I’d like my life back”. The author writes this book with a lot of examples from his practice. He then also goes into what the CEO of BP should have said and done.

But there are many more lessons to be learned from the book. I will pick up a few things here that have stayed with me.

The first thing is: how do you recognize a spokesman? This white raven has the following characteristics:

  • He / she wants to do it;
  • He / she is credible;
  • He / she speaks intelligibly (without jargon) and understandably (clearly);
  • He / she has sympathy;
  • He / she has a good cuddling factor;
  • He / she has knowledge of the matter;
  • He / she is not easily influenced.

He / she also has a good intuitive approach to the following issues:

  • What do you do with an aggressive reporter who interrupts you with a new question?
  • Do you always answer the question asked?
  • If there are several camera crews, do you know where to look?
  • What if many questions are asked at once?

A second thing that remains is the phenomenon of ‘lawyers’. They often want to hear ‘no comment’ in order not to have a (false?) appearance of guilt if you show empathy (We Care, We’re sorry) because that gives a lot of extra work in the courtroom. So you speak to them, you consult with them, but ‘no comment’ is not an option.

In addition, Mark Twain’s quote sticks: “Always tell the truth, that way you do not have anything to remember.” But remember: telling the whole truth is only for in court. What is strongly associated with this is the reputation of the organization and the amount of goodwill it receives from the customers.

One of the most difficult things is communication when victims have fallen. Then the audience wants to know 3 things:

  • What happened? Tell the facts.
  • How did it happen? You should not just go into this. Say you are investigating it. And that is true. This is only definitively known after the judicial investigation.
  • What are you doing? Do not say that it will never happen again, you can not promise that. Rather say that there is an ongoing investigation and that you will give more information the moment results become available.

Sometimes you have to say sorry. This is best done on your own initiative and first. It steals the ‘thunder’.

You also need to know what your crisis is and what is not. You solve your crisis, the rest is done by the police and the court. You must therefore first recognize, identify and isolate your own crisis.

Furthermore, there are crisis communication strategies. You have to be able to tackle some common issues.

  • Who will you communicate with?
  • How will you do this?
  • Who speaks with the discussion partners?
  • Is the government at your side?
  • What is the ‘key message’?
  • How can you keep coming back to that?
  • Which questions should you anticipate?
  • Keep the message specific.
  • Stay understandable, do not escape in jargon!
  • Be honest and take care of evidence.
  • Determine the ‘take away message’.
  • Use examples and metaphors that people can understand.
  • And last but not least: determine what you will do if you yourself are the crisis.

And then of course as icing on the cake: how do you build a defensible decision?

The book reads smoothly, is lavishly upholstered with practical examples of how things should and should not be done. The book does not guarantee that you will be a crisis communicator after reading it. But it is a good start to practice, practice, and practice again.

Risk Issues and Crisis Management in Public Relations – A Casebook of Best Practice

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Authors: Michael Regester & Judy Larkin

In this book, the authors discuss risk management (although they only speak of risk issues) and crisis management as part of what they call ‘Issues management’ and that with an approach from the perspective of public relations. Here they give numerous examples in the form of case studies.

The book is divided into two parts: a section on the elaboration of issues management, which looks suspiciously like risk management, because it has many similar building blocks, and a second section on crisis management, emphasizing both the importance of the teams, as the communication aspects.

Issues management is working on the drafting of a procedure of issues management, in which a great deal of attention is paid to the components that the authors consider important. The whole is concluded with some overviews of concrete approaches in two existing organizations.

Concerning Crisis Management, it is the intention that you remember the following (not necessarily in this order and certainly not an exhaustive list):

 

  • Be the first to share, recognize first that there is a problem.
  • Rectify immediately any error that comes into the media.
  • Be complete, correct, honest, transparent and willing to communicate. Do not say things like ‘no comment’ and if nothing is known yet, then tell them you will not leave no stone unconverted untill is known how things work.
  • Provide a place to speak to the press. It’s best to work one-on-one for the television channels. The latter can take a lot of time and energy and therefore it can be interesting to have a single TV interview set up in consultation with all channels.
  • Start communicating immediately, even if you do not have any information yet.
  • Always discuss the following topics in the following order:

    • People
    • Environment and environs
    • Properties
    • Money

And always talk first about the facts, then emotions and then state a vision of what you will do or are doing about it. Prevent a void in communication.

  • Always make sure that your actions are in the spotlight, and that you are heard.
  • Avoid putting bad blood in the population.
  • Visit the disaster site.
  • Acknowledge fault when it is proven, not before. Refer to experts for the evidence and do not be tempted into endless defense talk.
  • Never speculate about what you do not know.
  • If the press does not pay attention to you, do not walk away, stay in the area but do not pull any attention to your organization. Do not be a ‘sitting target’.
  • Do not ignore any media source.
  • Be willing to pay ex-gratia.

All this is extensively upholstered with cases where it worked and where it did not work.

Managing crises before they happen

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Ian I. Mitroff with Gus Anagnos

The book is a collection of facts about crisis management.

In his definition for Crisis management in the first chapter, the author states that risk management and emergency planning have to do with natural phenomena, while crisis management mainly relates to crises caused by people. This narrow definition of crisis management is important for the correct interpretation when reading the rest of the book. He therefore argues that crises are an inherent part of modern communities. But also that crises caused by man can be avoided. It is important to always look for signals of problems in the environment. Denial of problems is the greatest danger.

In the second chapter, the author speaks about failing success. More specifically, how can the organization be the victim of its own success. Because certain actions have been repeated over and over and over again, such as the production and sale of Tylenol, one becomes blind to the weaknesses in the process, which for J & J in 1982 appeared to be the security from begin to end of tylenol. A lesson learned for J & J is that they always have to take responsibility for their product. An organization must therefore always search for new techniques, and constantly question its processes, including the security process. In order to draw up security plans, one must always consider the following five aspects of the environment in relation to the organization: complexity, links and connections between matters, the scope and size of processes and systems, speed and visibility.

In chapter three the author discusses a model for best practice for crisis management, based on risks, mechanisms, systems, stakeholders and scenarios. It is therefore necessary to have emergency plans for economic risks, information risks, physical risks, HRM risks, reputation risks, psychopathic actions and acts of god.

Chapter four is about what to say or not to say. The author mentions the ‘Johari Window’. A first golden advice is: investigate the situation, and avoid deceiving yourself. Always accept liability for your product and your actions. And know that there are no real secrets in this world anymore. There is always someone who knows what you do not want, and an investigative journalist is always there. And taking the initiative to tell the truth above that you have to be squeezed out is always preferable because you remain ‘in control’.

Linked to this is chapter five about taking responsibility: are you the victim or are you the bad guy? One is or will quickly and easily become the bad guy, one remains or becomes difficult the victim. Psychology of the mass plays a major role in this. It is important to take responsibility, to take action and not to actively play out the classic victim role. Give yourself as a spokesman an understanding and empathetic role and never get into technicities. Avoid alienation of victims, customers and stakeholders as a face of the organization. And never assume that the logic within the organization is also that of the media and the masses.

This is why chapter six is ​​also important: the detection of weak signals to deal with crises before they happen. Never block them! Pay attention to the alarms of people on the work floor. Keep your communication lines open. Reward people when they report a problem. And make sure people know what to do in a crisis.

To be able to do crisis management, one must also be able to think out of the box. Chapter seven is about that. A remuneration policy is therefore appropriate. By stimulating this way of thinking you will find new and original solutions to problems. In addition, decisions must also be made, which everyone, from top to bottom, must support. But beware of a known issue: watch out to solve the wrong problem. And always check that what is taken for granted.

Chapter eight is about seeing ‘the big picture’. How things come together, one crisis can ignite the other, but that a single event is seldom enough to blow up the situation. So all factors that contribute must be taken into account. Base the action plans on this, and consult the large picture regularly to ensure that you do not make the situation worse.

Chapter nine is the road that was seen in 2001 as a starting point in 2002. The most important advice in this is “Start by designing and implementing signal detection systems throughout your organization”.