Crisis Management Communications

Warwick Network, 27 July 2006

Ian Rowley, Director of Communication

Next week, there can’t be any crisis. My schedule is already full.

Dr Henry Kissinger, while US Secretary of State

To Cover Today

• What is a Crisis? (15 mins)

• Issues Management (20 mins)

• Dealing with Crisis (25 mins)

• Sabotage, Extortion, Product Faults 31%• Health Risks, Fire/Accidents 16%• “Dirty Tricks” and Fraud 16%• Financial Crises 15%• Hurricanes, Floods, Pollution 12%• Pressure Groups 10%

Infoplan 1994 survey of top 250 UK companies

What does Crisis make you think of?

Recent “Crises” at Warwick

• Action Short of a Strike• Failure of IT Circuit Board • Flooding to Kirby Corner Road/University House• Student Death on Campus• Sabotage of UniTemps Staff Database• Late Opening of Heronbank/Liberty Park• Mumps/Meningitis Outbreak on Campus• Clinton Visit

What is a Crisis?

An event which causes the company to become the subject of widespread, potentially unfavourable, attention from the international and national media and other groups such as customers, shareholders, employees and their families, politicians, trade unionists and environmental pressure groups who, for one reason or another, have a vested interest in the activities of the organisation.

Register and Larken, 2005

Impact of a Crisis

• Consumer confidence – loss of sales or market share

• Loss of reputation

• Compensation

• Pressure on the SMT, especially institutional leaders

• Distraction from primary business goals

Issues Management – because prevention is better than cure!

“An issue, an unsettled matter which is ready for decision”

Chase and Jones

Issue Lifecycle

Potential Emerging Current Crisis Dormant

Opportunity to Influence Difficult to Influence

Development

Pre

ssu

re

Issue Management

Early issue identification

Media coverage

Hainsworth and Meng 1990

Group Brainstorm

You have been invited to be a member of the University of Warwick’s issues management taskforce. Today is the first meeting of the taskforce. Working in small groups (2-3 people) you are asked to:

1) brainstorm possible issues which might impact on the University;

2) list, in order of inevitability, your top 5 issues;3) formulate a strategy for monitoring one of

your 5 issues over time

Successful Crisis Management

Successful management of a crisis situation is about recognising you have one, taking appropriate actions to remedy the situation, being seen to take them and being heard to say the right things.

Register and Larken, 2005

Points for Consideration 1

• Membership of the Crisis Management Team (24 hour contact)

• Authorisation and Access to Resources• Base Camp (plus alternative meeting space)• Telephony capacity, emergency call centre• “Dark” website • Plan for loss of IT and other systems,

including cascading home telephone list

Points for Consideration 2

• Media – (nearly) always co-operate, provide content

• Use of the CEO, consistency of spokespeople

• Concern before cost• The rise and rise of activism• New Media, threats and opportunities• Public Distrust of Science and Scientists

• Make internal stakeholders your advocates

• Co-operate with emergency services

• Develop third party advocates

• Importance of Government

• Special arrangements for dealing with affected families

Points for Consideration 3

Dealing with Crisis: Group Exercise