Crisis management involves preventing a crisis from becoming a catastrophe through systematic planning and preparation. A crisis is defined as an event that threatens vital interests and demands rapid decision making across departments. Key features of a crisis include low probability but high impact, with uncertain causes and effects. Effective crisis management requires assessing risks, producing response plans, clearly defining roles, and promoting a crisis-ready culture through training and exercises. The goals are to restore operations, minimize losses, and learn lessons for future improvement. Communication is a core part of the response, with clear messages tailored to identified audiences through appropriate channels.

1. Crisis Management
Prepared By: Dr D Narmatha

2. Definition
• A crisis is defined as an event that by its
nature or its consequences:
– constitutes a threat to vital national interests
or to the essential needs of the population;
– prompts rapid decision making;
– demands coordination between different
departments and organisms

3. Key features of a Crisis
• Low probability
• High impact
• Uncertain/ambiguous causes and effects

4. Common features of a crisis:
• The situation materialises unexpectedly
• Decisions are required urgently
• Time is short
• Specific threats are identified
• Urgent demands for information are received
• There is sense of loss of control
• Pressures build over time
• Routine business become increasingly difficult
• Demands are made to identify someone to blame
• Outsiders take an unaccustomed interest
• Reputation suffers
• Communications are increasingly difficult to manage

5. Crisis Management
Crisis Management :
prevents a crisis from becoming a catastrophe.
 Crisis management can be defined as a system or
methodology of solving crisis situations. We can be
sure that the actual crisis situation will differ from
our expectation.
A crisis is like a virus, the effects can be sudden
, insidious, infectious and extremely dangerous…

6. Problem characterization
Crisis management is a very complex and not easily
predictable process. The problem can be explicated in
three claims:
– Nobody knows when a crisis event will happen.
– The scenario of a crisis/emergency event can be
expected and prepared for but the real situation will
change it.
– Our knowledge of a crisis/emergency event solution
is developed step-by-step and hour-by-hour and its
”current version” has to be utilized continuously in
the crisis event solution.

7. Purpose of crisis management:
• Prevention
• Survival
• Successful outcomes

8. Three criteria of success:
• Has organisational capacity been restored?
• Have losses been minimised?
• Have lessons been learned?

9. Crisis Planning:
• Assess risks
• Produce plans
• Define roles and responsibilities
• Appoint crisis management team
• Draw up communication plan
• Produce contact and organisation chart
• Promote crisis-ready culture
• Publish plans and conduct training
• Test, review and practise

10. • Crisis is no time to find yourself on a learning
curve. Community measures and Emergency
procedures are essential;
• Planning requires that crisis can occur at any
time. Nine out of ten crisis occur when you are
asleep, probably after a late night or at a
week-end!
PRE-CRISIS ACTIONS AND
PREPARATIONS

11. • Pre-crisis actions costs are often (but not
always) a tiny fraction of the losses that are
typically incurred by crisis for which there has
been inadequate preparation;
• It is very easy to underestimate the damage a
crisis can do and the costs it can have.
PRE-CRISIS ACTIONS AND
PREPARATIONS

12. Preparedness at Commission level:
• Emergency Procedures
• Staff awareness
• Network of experts for urgent meeting/advice
• Standard Commission Decisions (safeguard
clauses) ready in all official languages
PRE-CRISIS ACTIONS AND
PREPARATIONS

13. Pre-crisis actions and preparations
1. The crisis unfolds
2. After the crisis
3. In a Nutshell

14. THE CRISIS UNFOLDS
• Appointment of a press contact person who is always
available and ready to reply immediately
• Quick reaction in taking and repealing measures
• Dispatch of information in real time
• Consistency of information (everyone should have the
same story)
• Development of a detailed chronology

15. THE CRISIS UNFOLDS
• The services/officials concerned ought to show
flexibility and may have to stay late hours, work on
week-ends or report their vacations
• The work-plans and tasks should be re-organized so
as to allow for an effective management of the crisis
and all its side effects (letters, working groups…)
• Risk assessors and risk managers must work in strict
co-operation!

16. THE CRISIS UNFOLDS
• Coordination between the Units and
Directorates concerned is essential, so as to
ensure that all the aspects of the crisis are
being tackled .
• Show sympathy for those affected by the crisis.

17. AFTER THE CRISIS
• Promote positive stories in the media
• Analyze the management of the crisis
• Update Emergency Procedures

18. IN A NUTSHELL
Be prepared
• Sooner or later you may also be involved in a
crises, which will involve a lot of extra work
• What is the most likely scenario for you/your
service? Are you ready for it?
• The crisis may be worse than you expected!

19. IN A NUTSHELL
Say the truth
• People and institutions do not like facing and
managing crisis. This may lead them into half-
truths, lies and evasions
• What is said to the media, other bodies needs
to be updated and consistent

20. IN A NUTSHELL
Be visible
• If the crisis is major, then Commissioner needs
to be at the site of the crisis quickly and to be
visible
• Failure to show sympathy will be punished by
the media and by all members of the public and
can destroy the reputation of the Commission

21. Crisis Communications

22. Communication plan:
Core elements are:
• Identifying audiences (Who?)
• How communication is to take place (How?)
• What messages are to be communicated (What?)
The core process is:
• Active, two-way communication