7 Steps for Crisis Management

Crises can arise at any moment. I recently heard about a company holiday party that went afoul, ending with an older female employee doing some pretty inappropriate things with a younger (and very drunk) male coworker – and taking pictures! Needless to say, the pictures got out, the clueless male, now sober, was ticked. And things went from there.

Whatever your crisis situation, The Forbes Group, a 20-year-old strategic management consulting firm, recommends organizations adopt a seven-step crisis management formula:

  1. Define the scope of the crisis.
  2. Establish unified response.
  3. Create a central information service.
  4. Act promptly.
  5. Establish media response policy.
  6. Document everything.
  7. Conduct a post-crisis review

And for thoughts about dealing with internal conflict and crisis, see my Super Human Conflict Resolution post.