All organizations are subject to crisis. Managers whose organizations encounter a crisis must act quickly-to recognize its source, contain it, and eventually resolve it with the least amount of damage. Yet few managers receive any formal training in this critical area. This book aims to remedy the situation by explaining the essentials of crisis management and providing a practical framework for stabilizing, then mastering, an unanticipated crisis. Topics include:
Preparing for and avoiding crises
Recognizing crises when they happen
Developing contingency plans
Learning from past crises
Plus, readers can access free interactive tools on the Harvard Business Essentials companion Web site at www.elearning.hbsp.org/businesstools.
The Harvard Business Essentials series is designed to provide comprehensive advice, personal coaching, background information, and guidance on the most relevant topics in business. Drawing on rich content from Harvard Business School Publishing and other sources, these concise guides are carefully crafted to provide a highly practical resource for readers with all levels of experience and will prove especially valuable for the new manager.To assure quality and accuracy, each volume is closely reviewed by a specialized content adviser from a world-class business school. Whether you are a new manager seeking to expand your skills or a seasoned professional looking to broaden your knowledge base, these solution-oriented books put reliable answers at your fingertips.
Introduction
1 Taking Stock of Potential Perils
What Could Go Wrong?
Sources of Potential Crises
Identifying Potential Crises
Prioritizing Potential Crises
Summing Up
2 Avoiding the Avoidable
An Ounce of Prevention...
Prepare a Systematic Program of Crisis Avoidance
Heed the Signals of Impending Crisis
Look BeforeYou Leap
Don't Forget About Insurance
Summing Up
3 Contingency Planning
Preparing Today/or Tomorrow's Problems
Step 1: Organize a Planning Team
Step 2:Assess the Scope of the Problem
Step 3: Develop a Plan
Step 4:Test the Plan
Step 5: Keep the Plan Up-to-Date
AreYou Ready?
How One Company Plans and Prepares for Crises
Summing Up
4 Crisis Recognition
Where There's Smoke, There's Fire
Different Warning Signals
Why Warnings Are Often Unheeded
Solutions
Summing Up
5 Containment
Preventing a Bad Situation from Becoming Worse
Rule 1:Act Quickly and Decisively
Rule 2: Put People First
Rule 3: Be on the Scene
Rule 4: Communicate Liberally
When in Doubt, LetYour Training,Values, and Instincts
GuideYou
Summing Up
6 Crisis Resolution
The Road to RecoverT
Move Quickly
Gather Facts Continually
Communicate Relendessly
DocumentYour Actions
Use Project Management Techniques When Appropriate
Be a Leader
Declare the End of the Crisis
Summing Up
7 Mastering the Media
Make It Your StotT
Handle the Media with Care
Match the Message and Media to Different Segments
Frequently Asked Questions
Summing Up
Learning from Your Experience
Gather Lessons Where You Find Them
Mark the End of the Crisis
Record the Crisis Response
Capture the Lessons Learned
Summing Up
Appendix A: Useful Implementation Tools
Appendix B: How to Write a Press Release
Notes
For Further Reading
Index
About the Subject Adviser
About the Writer
