Crisis Training: " Hazards" Crisis Training Management

Crisis Training: "Hazards" Crisis Training Management

Crisis! Merely mention the word and you evoke visions of unspeakable affliction and suffering. It seems that you can't turn on the radio, television, pick up a newspaper, magazine, or periodical any more, without reading about a crisis somewhere. Yet, by developing and implementing a well defined crisis training management program, business leaders can mitigate the potentially disastrous effects of an incident.

Management is never put more strongly to the test than in a crisis situation. The objectives are immediate and so are the results. What you and those around you do or don't do will have long lasting implications. Today, individuals responsible for the crisis training management of businesses and public agencies must deal effectively with increasingly complex laws and issues or face the consequences.

What if...? You came to your office for the beginning of your work week and because of some unforseen event there were no employees, no working telephones, no functioning computers, no utilities. You're the Chief Executive. What would you do? Where would you start? Unquestionably this is a crisis. Remember, you have access to almost none of your regular business tools. If this had been an actual incident; such as many businesses experienced during the Chicago flood in April 1992, it would already have been too late to concern yourself with developing a crisis training Management Program! You've got to have a program in place to ensure continuity of operations. But, what kind of crisis training Management Program?

You might ask yourself, "What is a crisis for my firm?" For our purposes, the following definition will be used: A crisis can be defined as any unplanned event, occurrence or sequence of events that has a specific undesirable consequence.

Natural disasters, financial manipulation, societal disruption, pollution and stringent regulations are but a few examples of potential crisis situations. The reasons for focusing on these issues may result from a commitment to protect the public, your employees, to comply with government regulations or to protect the firm from possible liabilities and litigation. The consequences for not focusing on these issues or not having crisis training can be disastrous.

The above sampling indicates the need for a viable Crisis Training Management Program - an "all hazards" Crisis Training program. Failure to have a workable Crisis Training Management Program is akin to playing Russian Roulette with an automatic pistol. You don't have the luxury of pulling the trigger on an empty chamber.

You may think that its too difficult and time consuming to develop a cohesive Crisis Training Management Program. However, when broken down into its basic elements, a plan consists of only four parts. These are:

crisis trainingCompliance
crisis trainingPreparedness
crisis training & Resource Development
crisis training Information Management

Although no two Crisis Training Management Programs are exactly alike, these are the critical aspects of any Crisis Training Management Program. We will discuss each of these aspects briefly. However, before we delve into the four aspects, let's look at some basic objectives.

Ask yourself why do we need a crisis trainingManagement Program with an "all hazards" approach? Put simply, such a program allows you to provide for:

Effective crisis training coordination of activities among the organizations having a management/response role;
Early warning and clear instructions to all concerned if a crisis occurs;
Continued crisis training assessment of actual and potential consequences of the crisis;
Continuity of business operations during and immediately after the crisis.

A brief synopsis of the common weaknesses in crisis training Management planning may prove helpful. As you read the discussion on the four basic elements, keep these weaknesses in mind. You may also want to

How do you reduce the vulnerability posed by potential crises? A system that will advise you of the crisis training initiatives to be addressed is needed. This will allow you to act in a responsible manner to fulfill the purpose and intent of existing legislation.

It can also provide a framework for anticipating future legislation. An effective crisis training system for compliance can be developed only if you know what laws and regulations pertain to your operation. In order to accomplish this task, a survey of all operations should be undertaken.

Next, you must organize the crisis training operation. The management chain is critical to this process. You must ensure that all levels of management become part of the crisis training program.

This can be achieved in several ways:

Make a senior manager directly responsible to top management and the board of directors. The formal assignment of a senior manager to the position of "Crisis Training Management Programs, Director," or some other appropriate title, can accomplish the initial portion of this item. Additionally, you will want to establish within the individual's job description some measurement standard to evaluate performance. This goes both ways. Upper management has to take responsibility for developing measurable and attainable goals for the Crisis Training Program Director to achieve.
Set aside specific time for reports on crisis training management preparedness issues. This can be accomplished by preparing an agenda for senior staff and board of director meetings that includes a discussion of crisis training management preparedness as a mandatory item. You have to give it more than lip service though. Also, you must make the discussion substantive. Provide more than the dull and tiring statistics on reportable accidents, etc. Include all levels of personnel in the crisis training presentation process.
This can be very effective and it gets the message out to all personnel that your company is serious about crisis training management preparedness.
Make crisis training management planning issues part of the strategic planning process. In one aspect, government regulations, are defining strategic implications for companies.
Another perspective on this issue really begets changing the "corporate culture," i.e., making crisis training management preparedness a part of the way you do business.
Communicate crisis training compliance through all levels of the organization through company policy and procedures. This can be accomplished through formal adoption of crisis training policy at the highest levels of the company. Generally, this will require the approval of the Board of Directors.

Crisis training Preparedness used in the broadest context means any and all measures taken to prevent, prepare for, respond, mitigate and recover from a crisis. It's with this perspective that we begin to breakdown the aspect of Preparedness. Preparedness consists of four critical aspects:

Crisis Training Preparation and Prevention
Crisis Training Detection and Classification
Crisis Training Response and Mitigation
Crisis Training Reentry and Recovery

Crisis training of personnel is the third component of the "all hazards" approach. The training of the crisis training Management/Response Organization is one of the critical success fact4ors that must be addressed if an adequate response is to be achieved. The development of the compliance program, involvement of all levels of management and establishing crisis training preparedness is only part of the overall process. To ensure an adequate response, a trained organization is required.

A "systems" approach to preparing effective crisis training programs should consist of:

In addition to the formal crisis training training program, a program of proficiency demonstration in crisis training is also needed. This can be accomplished by establishing crisis training program that supplements the training with drills and exercises. The crisis training drill program can vary in degree of complexity.

The need to establish and maintain an ongoing dynamic Crisis Training Management Program is essential. The crisis management process doesn't end just because you finished the crisis training management plan, are in compliance, have involved management and trained the staff.

In order to facilitate crisis training planning requirements, a record of all crisis training initiatives should be retained. These crisis training records serve to document the accomplishments, requirements, commitments and reports relating to various crisis training program requirements. The identification of commitments in the crisis training areas of compliance, emergency preparedness and training is vital. The establishment of a defined information management system structure will ensure that crisis training documentation will be available when needed.

Senior management must be kept well informed. Information is a corporate asset. Information is expensive. It must be shared and managed effectively. Crisis training Information management is also critical during a crisis. The need for active systems to provide information on materials, personnel, capabilities information on materials, personnel, capabilities and processes is essential. It is extremely important to have a crisis training system (and adequate back-up systems) in place that serves to identify, catalog, set priorities and track issues and commitments relating to crisis management and response activities.

In almost every instance of successful response to a crisis, management and crisis training response activities consisting of sound operating execution coupled with superior crisis training communication predominate. Operational response is essential. It is the one that saves lives, property and other assets. The ability to communicate is no less important. It's the one that saves the business. The simple fact is: perception is reality. Public perception of your company's reaction to a crisis is as important as your operating response. Lessons learned in crises ranging from Three Mile Island to the Exxon Valdez validate the need for a dynamic crisis training management program.

Trust and confidence in the abilities of middle level management must be established. "How well have my people prepared in crisis training?" This question can only be answered satisfactorily, if you have established a level of trust and confidence, can communicate risk and are willing to allow these managers to practice upward management, that is to delegate up.

They must have the ability to recognize needs and have a crisis training process in place that allows them to delegate up without fear of repercussions.

Few crises will be as dramatic as Three Mile Island or the Valdez ... unless it is your own. When your crisis occurs, the hardest part of dealing with it can involve answering the public call for information a call personified by a television correspondent or newspaper reporter who shows up at your doorstep or on your telephone line to get the story. How well you respond depends on how well you are prepared in crisis training.

Source: Geary Sikich Link

Related: Crisis Training