Expect the Unexpected

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

Disaster Management: A Guide to Issues Management

And Crisis Communication

Chris Skinner and Professor Gary Mersham

We cannot predict when and where disaster will strike, whether it is of natural or human origins, but the challenge is to turn “unexpectedness” into “anticipation and preparation” by the application of scenario planning and analysis of broad natural and social trends. A common characteristic, however, relevant to all disasters and crises, is that decisions must be made quickly.

Indeed, time is always of the essence in a crisis. While it is generally accepted that prevention is better than cure, we know that these unexpected occurrences will continue to happen, and as such we should learn to co-exist with them. However, to cope better we must acquire the necessary skills to deal speedily and effectively with any crisis or disaster. One skill that we must develop is to be prepared and be ready with an execution plan for any eventuality.

At the outset what is required is a crisis communication plan which provides a system for co-ordinated prompt, honest, informative and concerned responses to crises. This plan consists not only of a manual with scenarios and instructions but also involves a comprehensive audit of the organization’s vulnerabilities that results in numerous recommendations for operational/system changes which, if unchanged, create a potential for crises.

Prevention, then, versus reaction, is the ultimate key to successful crisis communication, for when a crisis plan is implemented after a damaging crisis, considerable time and expense is wasted attempting to minimize damage. Such expensive “fire fighting” would have been unnecessary had a plan been in place.

The first step in assessing the preparedness of an organization to develop and implement a successful crisis management programme is to analyse current management policies, organizational structure, communication systems and the attitudes of the management team, and to evaluate whether or not these are compatible with the specific policies and procedures of the company’s crisis response and communication plans.

The goals of any emergency response planning should be to:

·  Prevent fatalities and injuries to employees and members of the public;

·  Provide guidelines for decision making;

·  Identify and clarify responsibilities;

·  Ensure that valuable time is not lost in implementing or coordinating response efforts; and

·  Minimize production downtime and disruption of business.

A well-developed crisis communication plan should also clearly state company policies and procedures under emergency conditions and provide the specific information required to carry these out.

We recommend that an editor be assigned to the writing and editing of this plan, that he/she should maintain a master distribution list and that the plan should be reviewed thoroughly at least once a year. Training and testing of the plan are also essential.

When to activate a crisis plan is perhaps the most critical question in crisis planning. We believe that each company must determine for itself exactly what constitutes a major crisis and what warrants full implementation of the crisis plan.

The key factor in determining whether to implement the plan is the presence of an actual or potential danger to employees, members of the community, the environment or the company as a whole – specifically those circumstances where company personnel do not have the usual or desired level of control.

Any major accident or natural disaster becomes a matter of public record as soon as local emergency personnel arrive. Such events are newsworthy and the media have a right to investigate. Virtually all companies recognise their obligation to cooperate with all legitimate news organizations regarding such events.

A balanced, well timed public relations response in a crisis minimizes the chances of misinformation, misinterpretation of the facts and damage to corporate reputations. A sound, proactive media policy is an essential part of this strategy.

While there are no hard and fast rules that apply to all crisis situations, a “post-crisis analysis” by public relations experts – in the aftermath of recent industrial accidents such as oil spills and chemical plant explosions – suggests a number of guidelines for successful crisis management.

·  Immediacy: Response to the problem is immediate. People most affected by the crisis are communicated with on a priority, need-to-know basis – in a timely, orderly fashion.

·  Concern: All communication demonstrates that the health and welfare of those affected by the crisis are the top priorities of company management.

·  Control: Information about the status of the crisis situation is issued from a central company control point – ideally, through a single media spokesperson.

·  Factual: All comments made for public record are based on facts, not speculation.

·  Management: Top management assumes an involved and visible role.

·  Solution: The company is positioned early on in the crisis as part of the solution. Avoid an adversarial or defensive posture.

·  Apology: For a situation where it is absolutely clear that the crisis or disaster was caused by the company, a public apology is used from a high-ranking official.

·  Access: The media and public official have direct access to company decision makers.

·  One-to-one: Communication from the corporation is handled on a human-to-human level, not as if it is coming from an indifferent corporate entity.

·  Perception: Public perceptions of the crisis are addressed seriously, regardless of whether these perceptions are based on fact.

·  Credibility: In the selection of the spokesperson, consideration is given to the credibility and trustworthiness of the source. Third-party spokespersons are used when appropriate.

·  Advocacy: The company’s right to communicate is fully exercised and not relinquished to other parties involved in the controversy. If the media and public don’t hear the story from the company, they’ll get their information elsewhere.

·  Diplomacy: In controversial situations, efforts are made to sit down with adversarial groups to initiate dialogue and negotiate solutions.

These guidelines are abstracted from a new book on “Disaster Management : A guide to issues management and crisis communication” by Skinner and Mersham and published by Oxford University Press.

1