Crisis Management and Disaster Recovery

For any organization, crisis can lead to a downfall or an upheaval. A crisis is any situation that threatens the integrity or reputation of an organization, usually brought on by a process failure, adverse or negative attention.

But the need of the hour during any Crisis is implementing an already rehearsed crisis plan and executing it to near perfection. But even seasoned and well rehearsed crisis plans do fail in certain circumstances due to several factors. Crisis plans and the communication methodologies documented in them do not handle all unforeseen events, they have to be adjusted and customized according to the event.As Oliver Schmidt (2010) states: “Only if the systematic planning, implementation and evaluation of a company's internal crisis communication are conducted company-wide and on an ongoing basis, will management be able to rely on this valuable tool for minimizing crisis-related damage as well as seizing any opportunities the crisis itself may present” (par 4).

What would be the first task at hand in the event of a crisis? Key members and employees that are part of the crisis task force should be contacted and assembled immediately. The team should be divided into groups and each group being responsible for one or more problem areas.Make sure each team understands their responsibility and knows what to communicate and how to do it. As George Ambler states: “Make sure the management team knows how and what to communicate, and that no one is a bystander. Limit potential damage from leader’s informal conversations that are overheard and ripple through every organization” (par 5).

The Crisis management team needs to understand completely as to what happened and what should be the message that needs to be conveyed to fellow employees, key stakeholders and customers/clients. To prevent false rumors from spreading out the communication needs to be quick, efficient and truthful.Citing an Anonymous source (2010) Kathryn White-Southcombe from the HR team at Aliens Arthur Robinson (AAR) said the economic downturn presented the firm with unprecedented challenges. A decline in work raised the prospect of forced redundancies for the first time.

Previously (because of AAR's strong international reputation) there was an annual brain drain of employees going to legal firms overseas. With the downturn, employees stayed put, and the firm was experiencing over-capacity. Whereas managers had tended to communicate primarily by email, the HR team emphasized to them that face-to-face communication was essential at this time.HR emphasized to managers that they had to be visible and open with their team. Regular "floor briefings" were introduced, where managers spoke face to face with their team about the current economic situation and the status of the firm's initiatives. (37(4), 39, Document ID: 2122478451) So it is absolutely necessary to ensure that all employees or subjects are bought into confidence and have no doubts regarding the firm’s credibility.

Once this is complete then the firm can start the process of engaging the key stakeholders and explaining the plan to return to normalcy or alternate arrangements.Are there any other steps involved in the process? According to Johar, G. , Birk, M. , ; Einwiller, S. (2010), “The goal of communication during a crisis is to diffuse the episode’s negative impact.

The company embroiled in such a crisis should aim to explain to consumers why the problem arose and why the brand should not be viewed more negatively as a result of the event” (page 8). Why discuss Crisis management? According to Coombs, T. (1995) “A crisis is negative and can pollute the positive aspects of an organization’s image” (page 2).So a crisis can lead to a downfall or can be used effectively to increase the organization’s potential to be shown in a favorable light. It also emphasizes a need to develop positive vibes both within an organization and its external partners that can be utilized favorable during a crisis.

According to Kenon A Brown (2011) “People with a positive relationship with the organization were less likely to place blame for the crisis on the organization regardless of crisis response strategy. The study provides evidence that maintaining positive relationships with stakeholders may be more important that individual crisis strategies” (page 75).Yet another aspect is how the organization determines the path to ascertain control of the crisis mode and start planning for a business as usual (BAU) mode. According to Swords, William E. (1993) “During a disaster, management's focus must shift to controlling a well-understood workflow with employees who understand the crucial "control points.

" This kind of disaster management is not based on lists of people to call and things to do, but on soliciting ideas and input from knowledgeable employees.Once control of the ituation is secured, managers can start to worry about production again” (page 16A). Discussions regarding crisis management and the communication associated with them are essential for any organization and need to be thoroughly researched, as it can bring down or transcend an organization to greater heights. In my current role as a BCP (Business Continuity Planner), the day to day responsibilities requires me to plan for such disasters and rehearse them regularly with my group which, I do religiously, as execution of these plans are critical, should the need arise.