What is a crisis? It is an event that threatens the expectancy of stakeholders and negatively affects an organization’s performance. A crisis can occur instantly and have serious consequences, including safety, financial, and/or reputation harm.Companies often make the mistakeof waiting until an actual crisis to plan a reaction. Although crises are often unpredictable, a crisis management plan (CMP) can prevent and/or reduce its negative effects. The CMP should be continually updated based upon the developments both within and outside the organization.
Here are a few guidelines for your CMP.
• Predict: Brainstorm everything that could go wrong. Identify possible man-made issues, like violence, vandalism, accidents, negligence, and poor planning and natural issues like hurricanes and sinkholes.
• Position: Base your position and policy on these issues on your ethical standards.
• Prevent—Take appropriate preventative measures.
• Plan—If it is not preventable, plan for the worst.
• Persevere—Professionally follow your plan and stick to the positions and values you have projected.
• Evaluate—After the crisis is over, review the results to determine if there are other steps to take in the future.