Crisis Management
A New Approach to Crisis Management
Bertrand Robert* and Chris Lajtha**
The key to effective crisis management lies not so much with the writing of detailed manuals (that have a low likelihood of being used, and an even lower likelihood of being useful) and practising location evacuations as with structured and continuous learning processes designed to equip key managers with the capabilities, flexibility and confidence to deal with sudden and unexpected problems/events — or shifts in public perception of any such problems/events.
The nature of crisis is changing — traditional responses are being called into question
The landscape of crisis management is changing rapidly in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Traditional crisis management plans and training methods are proving to be ineffective and inadequate as a result. A fresh approach to crisis management is needed.
In quantitative terms: increase in the number of crisis situations
New York and Toulouse are merely the outward manifestations of a trend that began five years ago and that has been gaining noticeable momentum since 1998. Crises are occurring more frequently. They have become almost the daily lot (sometimes to the point of saturation), of government agencies and/or ministries in many countries (e.g., Health Ministries, the Food and Drug Administrations, Transport Ministries). For example, the Ministry of Agriculture in France recorded approximately 50 crisis incidents in 1998, but had to cope with almost 500 in 1999 — with unchanged human resources and budget constraints
How can this trend be explained? Can it be scientifically confirmed? Although there are few official statistics, there is general agreement among Argillos's corporate customers, media and communication professionals, risk and insurance management practitioners, academics and government officials that supports the contention that crisis frequency is increasing in an...
View Full Essay