Lesson 3: Crisis Management

Unlike other business professions such as purchasing, finance, and personnel recruiting, in which the application of fundamentals is much the same from one organization to another, security differs considerably according to the specifics of the organization where it is applies. E. J. Criscuoli, Jr., CPP

 As a security manager you must be fully capable of applying the right principles to the same tasks at different location, departments, and functions of a company. These tasks might be repetitive, and locations might be all in one area. Or the organization might be a multinational giant, with dozens of products and hundreds of dissimilar locations. You must be aware that security is seldom one dimensional or simplistic, making knowledge about and mastery of a number of tasks and technical skills essentials to successfully securing a company’s or institution’s assets. Let’s first take a look at crisis management.

Crisis Management

Almost all the activities that involve security and loss prevention are aimed at situations that can or do result in a crisis. The need for better beforehand security planning to protect persons as well as private and public property during man-made and natural disasters has been driven home to the public.

A crisis situation builds like a pyramid. This pyramid begins with thinking about what might happen if a crisis situation occurs and developing appropriate plans for dealing with it. You might refer to this as the if…then model of planning: if this happens, then we will do this. This type of linear thinking will ensure that the involved security professional can be brought into the overall response plan and contribute to the return of normalcy.

True crisis management is more than reflex and luck. Having a well considered, well-tested contingency plan is important, but the planning process should occur in conjunction with effective, proactive crisis management to make policy decisions.

The following shows the logical and sequential actions that security personnel must consider in doing disaster planning and reaction.

Good Planning

• Consider all possibilities

• Don’t focus only on immediate problems

• Establish contacts now

Good personnel

• Look for experience and knowledge

• Train, test, and evaluate

• Use people effectively and humanely

• Organize to mitigate stress

Good shakedowns (practice, practice, practice)

• Test plans and people

• Evaluate and revise plans

• Keep and open mind

Maintain control

• Stay ahead of the flow

• Schedule and pace yourself

• Look for the real problems

• Be creative

• Retain public affairs initiative

• Rely on your people

• Have confidence in the plan

• Keep records

Get back to normal

• Evaluate and document

• Reward

• Analyze implications

It is essential that crisis management planning include not only technical solutions to the crisis, but effective ways of maintaining communications with all concerned. The following ten steps give an example of how to accomplish the task at hand.

1. Identify your crisis management team: A small team of senior personnel should be identified as the crisis management team.

2. Identify spokesperson: Individuals should be authorized to speak for the group in times of crisis. It should be someone with extremely effective communication skills.

3. Train spokesperson: Training teaches the individual to be prepared, to be ready to respond in a way that maximizes the chance of a story being reported the way you want it to be.

4. Establish communication protocols: Initial and crisis-related news can be received by anyone on the team. Establish an emergency communication tree and distribute it to all persons involved.

5. Identify your audience.

6. Anticipate crises: Gather the team and brainstorm all potential crises that might occur.

7. Assess the situation: Reacting without adequate information is a classic shoot-first-ask-questions-later behavior.

8. Identify key messages: You already know what type of information your audience is looking for. What do you want to tell them about the crisis?

9. Decide on a communication method.

10. Ride out the storm: No matter what you do keep in mind you are involved in a crisis. It is going to be difficult at best, however, you have prepared so:

• Take a deep breath

• Take an objective look at the reactions in question. Are they your fault or a unique interpretation?

• Decide if another communication to the audience is likely to change that impression for the better.

• Decide if additional communication is worth the effort.

• Don’t be afraid to take responsibility.