CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Imagine your organization goes through an event that causes irreparable damage and you discover that the situation could have been avoided or addressed better. Many times, organizations may prevent a crisis by managing small situations and incidents promptly. They can also mitigate the effects of a crisis, even if its occurrence cannot be stopped. This can be done by implementing processes and procedures for preventing, preparing for, and responding to a crisis, which constitutes crisis management. By improving their crisis management capability, not only can organizations prepare for and prevent crises, but they can also manage crises more effectively and learn from them by identifying opportunities for improvement. 

What is ISO 22361?

The ISO 22361 standard provides guidance for organizations to develop, establish, maintain, monitor, and continually improve a strategic crisis management capability. In addition, it outlines the principles and practices needed to identify and manage a crisis. 

Why is crisis management important for you?

Preparing for crises includes developing a crisis management plan, which will direct crisis management and enable the organization to prepare its response procedures. Crisis response management procedures enable organizations to make sound decisions within time constraints and conduct initial impact assessments in order to mitigate the negative consequences of a crisis. Whereas, crisis recovery helps organizations regain their reputation, develop adequate strategies to return to normal operations, and adapt to potential changes arising from a crisis.

A significant factor that impacts crisis management is the establishment of effective communication channels and development of a communication plan. Nowadays, news can travel very fast through online platforms. Hence, it is important that organizations communicate with relevant stakeholders regularly and not withhold information that is relevant to employees, customers, and other interested parties. If not managed appropriately, ineffective communication may lead to irreparable damage to the organization’s reputation and, eventually, to its demise. 

Benefits of ISO 22361

Organizations that establish a crisis management capability based on the ISO 22361 guidelines will be able to:

• Maintain, monitor, and improve their crisis management capability 
• Ensure the commitment of leadership to crisis management
• Facilitate strategic decision-making before, during, and after a crisis 
• Establish effective internal and external communication channels that are beneficial in times of crisis
• Improve organizational resilience 
• Establish, foster, and promote a safety culture

Why choose PECB?

PECB aims to help you demonstrate your commitment and competence by providing you with valuable education and certification against internationally recognized standards.

Our crisis management certifications demonstrate that you can effectively design, develop, implement, monitor, and continually improve an organization’s crisis management capability.