Lexington, KY - The cry from public relations consultants nationwide when discussing the tragic Penn State child sex abuse scandal appears unanimous: The crisis isn't going away any time soon.
The despicable actions alleged at Penn State notwithstanding, most businesses stained by crises are - more accurately - stained by the decisions made after the crisis has occurred.
With every crisis, someone inevitably asks the big question: "How was it handled?"
If the consensus answer is "very well," and if the general opinion is that they took care of those affected and the problem was corrected, then that business often moves forward in relatively short order.
But if the consensus is "not well," and if the business is believed to have ignored the problem, or to have been less than forthcoming and slow in helping those affected, then that organization may spend months or years in recovery mode. Careers will be ruined. Revenue will be lost. The future of the organization may be in jeopardy.
Successful management of a crisis situation is not p.r. "spin," or cover-up. It's having a keen understanding of where your business may be most susceptible, then shoring up those areas to the extent possible. And it's planning ahead by preparing a crisis communications policy for the day that a crisis occurs.
Developing such a policy can be a relatively simple task. And the process itself can actually help a business identify festering problems and even prevent crises from occurring.
The first step is to establish a crisis communications team, which should include those responsible for such areas as human resources, operations, finance, IT, legal and communications. This team's initial assignment should be to discuss from their varying perspectives the types of crises that concern them most.
These discussions are almost always fascinating, and often eye-opening. During these sessions, I have seen organizations literally stumble into powder kegs, including a domestic violence situation about to spill over into a worksite, an IT security breach and a customer safety issue.
Once identified, crises should be categorized into areas such as legal, IT, operations or financial. Those likely to be affected by each crisis, such as employees, employee families, customers or neighbors, should also be identified, along with additional agencies that might also need to be contacted in certain situations, such as law enforcement, regulatory agencies, public relations counsel or media. Establish channels of communication to ensure that all groups can be reached when necessary.
All employees must understand the company's crisis communications policies and their individual responsibilities should a situation occur. For example, in the event of an immediate safety emergency, employees must know the process for contacting emergency first responders and employees should understand that they will often detect problems brewing prior to members of the crisis communications team and therefore are required to report any potential issues to a member of the team.
When a crisis occurs, a process must be in place for the team to convene. When practical, the meeting should be in a previously designated location - typically a conference room. If necessary, the team can meet via conference call.
A candid discussion should ensue, where all worst-case scenarios are considered. If there are safety concerns regarding employees or others, they must be addressed immediately. If there is concern about laws being violated, law enforcement must be contacted.
Upon reviewing the situation, communications and outreach to the affected stakeholders and others is necessary.
During the initial phase of any crisis, the team must convey three specific messages - not merely through words spoken, but through every action taken: