Crisis situations can damage a company's image and trust of employees, with long-term effects reaching beyond the bottom line and impacting employees directly.
An effective Crisis Management Plan (CMP) allows you to quickly recover from critical incidents while mitigating damage. Furthermore, it enables effective communication within and post-critical event.
1. Identify Risks
As soon as a crisis arises, it's vital to have an action plan ready in case any emergency should arise. Part of this process should include identifying risks and their effects - for instance how it might harm a company's reputation or disrupt business processes as well as impact employee safety.
Work together with members of your leadership and crisis management teams to generate a list of potential risks to your business, such as public relations missteps, social media scandals, workplace issues or natural disasters that could hinder business processes.
Once you have identified risks, determine their business impact to devise an action plan. For instance, if flooding destroys computer systems, your team must develop an emergency backup plan so all data remains accessible during an emergency - this will prevent lost business and minimize operational disruptions.
2. Create a Plan
Project managers who wish to achieve success at crisis management must create an action plan detailing what should be done when an unexpected crisis hits. The plan should be easily understandable while still flexible enough to adapt as necessary, and delegating tasks and responsibilities effectively is also an integral component. It is also essential that there be an established procedure for when to activate this crisis plan, along with regular training so all employees are familiar with it.
Start by identifying risks likely to impact your business and assessing their impacts, and prioritizing tasks and resources accordingly. Your crisis management plan should also include flexible work policies such as telecommuting, compressed work weeks or backup childcare to support team members during difficult periods.
3. Communicate Effectively
Communicating effectively during a crisis is crucial; both verbally and in writing. You should announce any modifications to your plan as well as provide instructions on how people can remain safe; especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, health officials and business leaders placed particular importance on clear instructions regarding physical distancing measures and lockdown guidelines.
As with a ship captain, an effective leader understands how to delegate. By assigning capable team members for various aspects of crisis management strategy, he or she will maximize efficiency while giving everyone an incentive to achieve excellence in doing their work.
During a crisis, it's essential to remember that each individual involved views it through different lenses. Communicating honestly and empathically will strengthen emotional bonds with stakeholders while showing your organization cares for its staff - leading to long-term trust even after the situation has subsided.
4. Support Your Team
As a project manager, you're used to making decisions based on hard data and taking an analytical approach to making them. But in times of crises it may be necessary for you to shift gears and adopt an adaptive strategy instead.
To effectively prioritize work tasks amid uncertainty, setting clear timelines is essential. Don't choose an ostrich approach - instead communicate frequently about your decision framework to stay on the right path.
Additionally, it's essential that your team knows which resources are available during a crisis - these might include accessing an employee assistance program, financial relief aid or simply words of comfort. Furthermore, reviewing employee benefits provides insight into any flexibility or time off they might be eligible for during an emergency; you could offer extra shift coverage or work from home days as ways of helping ease burden for some employees.
