Response Buildups | Crisis Management Structures

Each crisis event will define what management resources are required to bring control to a situation. The entire crisis management organization may not be required on every occasion, and only those individuals or groups whose contributions and participation are required to effectively manage a crisis situation should be mobilized. Exhibit 1 illustrates a possible buildup of a crisis response organization following an event. At any stage the company may turn off the crisis response measures if the situation is resolved, or if it transpires that there is in fact no threat or crisis. Defining the difference between a problem and crisis is important in order to create the right expectations and perspectives, ensure that emergencies are correctly managed, and make certain that crisis and incident response organizations are not unduly fatigued. Typically, the response buildup starts from the bottom (e.g., the first responders identifying an issue and alerting their management chain, with information moving upward as more senior and experienced management are mobilized to respond to the threat). Preferably, if the company has a robust intelligence capability and risk mitigation system in place, threats will be identified prior to occurrence and the process can be driven from the top down, especially if the crisis is a strategic issue such as relating to public relations or financial and brand issues.

Exhibit 1: Response Buildup

Depending on the configurations adopted by the company when designing the crisis response organizational structure, as well as where the event strikes in terms of immediate hierarchy involvement, there may be a series of quickly escalating response levels flowing from the point of occurrence upward and outward to the most senior levels of the crisis response organization. If a crisis is brought under control and the impacts are neutralized, some elements of a crisis response organization might not be involved, or may be quickly stood down. Escalation of participation should be driven by the need to manage an event and offset its effects, rather than to generate immediate or unnecessary involvement of all participants within the plan.