Organizational Crisis Management: The Human Factor

Gerald Lewis, Ph.D.www.geraldlewis.com

Prepare, Protect, Provide

Organizational Crisis Management: The Human Factor

• Floods, hurricanes, power outages, layoffs, violence, litigation, earthquakes, fires, hacking, sick building syndrome, strikes, terrorism. work crises come in all shapes and sizes.

• This presentation will focus on pre-incident plans and policies as well as post-incident services and strategies to help mitigate the impact on personnel. In addition, the Human Impact Assessment Tool (HIAT) developed by the presenter will be described.

• In addition, a portion of the presentation will be devoted to the development of the contingency planning profession.



Organizational Crisis Management

Gerald Lewis, Ph.D.Gerald Lewis, Ph.D. & Assoc., P.C.1290 Worcester Road, Framingham, MA 01702508.872.6228 www.geraldlewis.com

Crises Crises come in all shapes and come in all shapes and

sizes…sizes…to all to all

shapes and sizesshapes and sizes of work organizationsof work organizations



BCP: BCP: The Next GenerationThe Next Generation

“What do we want to be when we grow up?”

Purposeful GoalsPractical Applications

Professional StandardsPeople focused



Crisis Management =Cultural Management

“Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experiences of others,

are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so!”

Douglas AdamsAuthor of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy



• Evacuation congestion• Infrastructure damage• Civil disorder• Fires• Overwhelmed medical services• Overwhelmed transport system• Thousands of people isolated fordays without water, food ormedical care• Communication failures• Inequity (racism and excessivesuffering by the poor)

From Todd LitmanVictoria Transportation Policy Institute

San Francisco, 1906

If the past is prelude…Why aren’t we paying attention!

Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Katrina,



Pioneers Most of us have journeyed great (occupational) distances to find ourselves in our current position.

• Many felt a sense of adventure…• Some felt they were “volunteered”…

• Others felt they were thrown under the bus

Prophets &Messengers



right after you needed it!!

“On the Job Training”(OJT)

is getting the experienceyou need…



POP QUIZ!!!

What was the first emergency management or

crisis management plan?



It may be argued…Religions

It wasn’t smoke-stacked…Emergency ManagementBusiness ContinuityCOOPRisk Mgt.Security

Involved…PlanningPreparednessPreventionMitigationResponse/recovery

Had buy-in from all within the Community…

Included a Prevention andMitigation plan for those whodid not buy in… “H.M”



Since then…The blind men and the elephant…

IT/DR

Emer. Mgt

BCP

COOP

Risk Mgt.

Security

each with their own view of “reality”

ContingencyResiliency



What is the strategic plan…“Industry,” “Trade” vs. “Profession”

INDUSTRY• the people or companies

engaged in a particular kind of commercial enterprise;

• any grouping of

businesses that share a common method of generating profits, such as the "movie industry", the "automobile industry.”

TRADE• An occupation, especially

one requiring skilled labor: the building trades, including carpentry, masonry, plumbing, and electrical installation



Profession

• The body of people in a learned occupation; • An occupation requiring special education • A specialized work function generally performed by a

professional.

What is your professional/personal goal?



The “CP” of the future

• Education (formal and organizational)• Specialization• Certification• Standardization• Common terminology• Continuing education• Recognition/understanding outside of your

“industry”



Moving along…

The Human Factor



The Focus is…

• Rescue & restoration of services• Focused on infrastructure• IT• Security• Structural operations

It may be easier to recover IT

than to recover HT



“You can get your phone lines up…



…and have your computers

backed up…



…but your employees may still be messed up.”



Active & Passive Trauma

• Active- a boundary violation of some kind, clearly a toxic interaction…

a violent presence.

• Passive- a form of physical or emotional neglect… the absence of nurturance… and of connection.

From: I Don’t Want to Talk About ItTerrence Real



Steven Fink’s Assessment Model

Subjectively rate the following questions on a 1-10 scale2. Might the crisis intensify and if so, how fast?3. How observable is the crisis by outsiders such

as media, regulatory agencies or customers?4. How much does it interfere with operations?5. Is the company the victim or culprit of this

crisis?6. How damaging is it to the bottom line (however

one defines bottom line)

Divide by 5 to calculate the CIV

S. Fink, Crisis Management: Planning for the Inevitable. IUniversity, 1986, 2002



Steven Fink’s Assessment Model

• Probability Factor Scale (PFS)

Subjective estimation of the likelihood of an event occurring (0-100%).




Crisis Plotting Grid

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% PFS

CIV Hi impact/Hi probabilityHigh Impact/

Low probability

Low impact/Hi probability

Low impact/Low probability


X Hurricane in FloridaX strike

Hi probHi Impact

Hi probLow impact

Lo probLo impact

Lo probHi impact

X law suit



Human Impact Assessment Tool ©(HIAT)

Types of Crises

• Manmade 1• Manmade II• Natural disaster• Organizational transition• Infrastructure disruption



Manmade I• Single perpetrator

involved in civil/criminal activity or behavior that disrupts workplace– Violence– Law suit– Termination– Sexual harassment– Robbery or assault– Conflict between two

employees



Manmade II

• Disruption caused by an organized large group– Strike or other work

action– Terrorism/war– Large scale vandalism



Natural Disaster

• Incident caused by nature– Flood– Hurricane– Earthquake– Blizzard– Pandemic



Organizational Transition

• Crisis caused by changes in policies, personnel and/or placement– Lay offs– Reorganizations– Mergers and

acquisitions– Relocations– Work action– Brand damage



Infrastructure Disruption

• Incidents that disrupt the delivery of utilities, services, transportation, etc.

• Often these may be

part of natural disasters, but may also be “stand alone’ events.

Power outageComputer hacking or shut downHVAC shutdownOther utility difficultiesDisruption of vendor services



Human Impact Assessment Tool © (HIAT)

Impact Factors1. Locus of impact

Building, city, region

3. Timing4. Duration

Contained vs. on going

4. Warning vs. sudden5. Impact on operations



Human Impact Assessment Tool ©(HIAT)

Impact Factors continued

5-9. Damage/bodily injury/death5. Premise- damage to building6. Personnel- physical injury/death of employees7. Private residences- damage to homes and property8. Social structure-damage to utilities, roads, etc9. Reputation- damage to organization’s reputation

10. Concurrent stressors

Scores over 50 indicate a significant social/emotional impact

Total >50 = sig. impact

Concurrent stressors

I/D infrastructure

I/D Reputation

I/D property

I/D personnel

I/D premises

Operation Imp

Duration

Timing

Locus of impact

Infrastructure

Disruption

Org.

Trans

Nat’l

disaster

Manmade

2

Manmade

I

HIAT

Worksheet

8

10

10

10

10

7

1

2

7

5

70

8

10

3

5

2

1

2

2

3

5

43

5

10

6

8

10

10

0

7

1

5

62

10

3

8

8

6

1

8

1

9

5

59



Emotional

Reactions to Crisis & Trauma

Physical

Cognitive

Familial

Social

Workplace Disruption



10% Paradigm

• Impact on workplace– Decrease in productivity– Increase in absenteeism– Increase in sick leave– Increase in health claims– Increase in disability claims– Increase in conflict (personal and professional)

– Liability issues



Characteristics of Resiliency

• “Relationships” with others • An opportunity to contribute and feel valued• Effectiveness in work, play, and relationships • Healthy expectations and positive outlook • Self-esteem and self-discipline • Problem solving/critical thinking skills• Flexibility • A sense of humor



SecuritySafety, comfort, freedom from threatening events

BelongingFriendship, affiliation, interaction

Membership in a group

EsteemFeeling valued, appreciated, respected by self and others

Fulfillment by maximizing skills and potential. Continuation to grow

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

PhysiologicalFood, shelter, clothing, relief from pain

10%Self Actualization



PhysiologicalRescue, recovery, food, shelter,

walls, windows, HVAC,

SecurityIT, Security, Policies, etc.

BelongingInter/intra departmental interaction & understanding

EsteemEmployees feeling valued/cared

for by the organization.They contribute…

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs For ORP

Self Actualization

HT

Responsive Leadership



When planning…

Survival

SURVIVALPhysiological

1-5 days

SUPPORTSafety/security

Support

2-3 wks

ADJUSTMENT Belonging

Adjustment

3-8 mos

RESOLUTIONEsteem

1 yr.

Resolution

2+ yrs

RE(dis)COVERY Self actualization

Re(dis)covery

Event



Guaranteed “Breaks”…The Three “Cs”

Command structure

Communication

Cooperation



What to do? Know your demographics, “culture” and purpose

• Designation of “SAFE-T” team. – Fund it with time, money and resources

• Sharing: Distribute resiliency plans…• Sensors: Utilize focus groups for employee input• Tabletop drills… over extended phases• Mitigation = Education, Information &

Communication • Provide up-to-date information: 800 #, FAQ website,

emails, webinars, brochures, wallet cards, con-calls, video presentations, health fairs, lunchinars… on-going

• Guidelines and expectations of each role/category of employee



SecurityAssessment

AdministrativePreparedness

Facilities and facilitation of Resources

Employee Services

Time and training

“SAFE-T TREE:”“Developing the Infrastructure



• Utilize HR, EAP, OH, LABOR UNITS

• Responsive (Compassionate) Leadership:– “Face time” with higher ups– Awareness of peoples’ reactions– Openness to allow appropriate expression– Process to communicate/discuss with others– Acknowledgement and appreciation of efforts– Concern for family (role conflict)– “Help” them understand that the “C” in their title does not

stand for crisis… do this before the crisis.

• Recognize the stages and phases of a crisis go on long after the crisis is “over.”

• Sell BCP/CP/CM/DR/COOP… as a safety policy



BCP as a safety policy



time & tolerance

respect & responsibility

unity & understanding

thanks

safety & structure

TRUST

T

R

U

S

T

Documents

Organizational Crisis Management: The Human Factor