Crisis Management

by Harvard Business School

• ISBN13: 9781591394372
• ISBN10: 1591394376
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-09-01
• Publisher: Harvard Business Publishing

Summary

In today's volatile work environment, avoiding disaster is more important than ever. Crisis Management will help managers identify, manage, and prevent potential crises. Full of tips and tools on how to prepare an emergency list and how to utilize pre-crisis resources, this book will show managers how to shepherd their team from crisis to success. This is a guide no manager should be without.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xiii
1 Taking Stock of Potential Perils	1	(20)
What Could Go Wrong?
Sources of Potential Crises	2	(10)
Identifying Potential Crises	12	(4)
Prioritizing Potential Crises	16	(4)
Summing Up	20	(1)
2 Avoiding the Avoidable	21	(14)
An Ounce of Prevention .. .
Prepare a Systematic Program of Crisis Avoidance	24	(2)
Heed the Signals of Impending Crisis	26	(2)
Look Before You Leap	28	(2)
Don't Forget About Insurance	30	(2)
Summing Up	32	(3)
3 Contingency Planning	35	(18)
Preparing Today for Tomorrow's Problems
Step 1: Organize a Planning Team	37	(2)
Step 2: Assess the Scope of the Problem	39	(1)
Step 3: Develop a Plan	40	(2)
Step 4: Test the Plan	42	(2)
Step 5: Keep the Plan Up-to-Date	44	(1)
Are You Ready?	45	(4)
How One Company Plans and Prepares for Crises	49	(1)
Summing Up	50	(3)
4 Crisis Recognition	53	(12)
Where There's Smoke, There's Fire
Different Warning Signals	54	(4)
Why Warnings Are Often Unheeded	58	(3)
Solutions	61	(3)
Summing Up	64	(1)
5 Containment	65	(12)
Preventing a Bad Situation from Becoming Worse
Rule 1:Act Quickly and Decisively	67	(1)
Rule 2: Put People First	68	(1)
Rule 3: Be on the Scene	69	(2)
Rule 4: Communicate Liberally	71	(3)
When in Doubt, Let Your Training, Values, and Instincts Guide You	74	(2)
Summing Up	76	(1)
6 Crisis Resolution	77	(16)
The Road to Recovery
Move Quickly	78	(2)
Gather Facts Continually	80	(1)
Communicate Relentlessly	80	(1)
Document Your Actions	81	(1)
Use Project Management Techniques When Appropriate	82	(4)
Bea Leader	86	(4)
Declare the End of the Crisis	90	(1)
Summing Up	91	(2)
7 Mastering the Media	93	(16)
Make It Your Story
Handle the Media with Care	94	(6)
Match the Message and Media to Different Segments	100	(3)
Frequently Asked Questions	103	(4)
Summing Up	107	(2)
8 Learning from Your Experience	109	(10)
Gather Lessons Where You Find Them
Mark the End of the Crisis	111	(1)
Record the Crisis Response	112	(2)
Capture the Lessons Learned	114	(3)
Summing Up	117	(2)
Appendix A: Useful Implementation Tools	119	(4)
Appendix B: How to Write a Press Release	123	(2)
Notes	125	(2)
For Further Reading	127	(4)
Index	131	(6)
About the Subject Adviser	137	(1)
About the Writer	138