5 May 2021
Are You Prepared for a Crisis?You might not want to think about it, but every organization can face a crisis, including yours. When it comes to crisis management, there are two types of companies: those that have identified risks and have well-organized business processes, and those that cannot imagine such an event ever happening to them. The impact of a crisis depends largely on whether the company has prepared for it. Proper preparation can prevent a lot of damage.
You might not want to think about it, but every organization can face a crisis, including yours. When it comes to crisis management, there are two types of companies: those that have identified risks and have well-organized business processes, and those that cannot imagine such an event ever happening to them. The impact of a crisis depends largely on whether the company has prepared for it. Proper preparation can prevent a lot of damage.
There are many types of crises: a fire, an accident involving hazardous materials, injuries or fatalities in the workplace, hacking of computer systems, or negative media attention that impacts the company’s reputation. In other words, a crisis is a situation that seriously threatens the continuity of the business.
Key characteristics of a crisis include:
If a crisis is handled well, escalation of the consequences can often be avoided. Unlike several decades ago, thorough preparation has become increasingly important. There are now more external threats, such as cyberattacks on software systems, and the rapid spread of negative news via social media can present a new and significant risk.
Crises always occur suddenly, creating the perception that organizations are inherently unprepared. If they had seen the problem coming, they would have taken measures to prevent the crisis. However, you can prepare for a crisis by identifying potential crisis scenarios and designating the people who will have key roles in such situations. By adequately preparing your crisis team, the investment in preparation will more than pay off compared to the potential damage that can arise during a crisis.
Don’t rush to take action! First, think it through.
In the aftermath of a crisis, companies often have the urge to implement immediate measures to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future. However, taking the time to systematically analyze the incident can help avoid taking the wrong steps. It is not enough to only address the direct cause of the incident; underlying causes must also be considered. Failing to address these root causes means that any improvements in safety are likely to be minimal.
For example, consider investing in a better alarm system for an incident where the alarm system worked, but no one responded to it. It’s possible that the alarm was noticed, but due to high workloads, no action was taken, or everyone assumed someone else would handle it. In such cases, a better alarm system won’t necessarily improve safety.
Another risk is the implementation of disproportionate measures to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident at all costs, such as imposing excessive demands on employees and overly strict procedures. This is known as the "regulation reflex": more rules are introduced following an incident. The costs of these measures can be significant. Workplace safety benefits more from looking at the big picture and using available resources to implement changes that will truly make a difference.
Not all incidents lead to a crisis, but an incident can escalate into one. Managing a crisis is primarily about communication, whereas managing an incident is more technical. The lessons learned from an incident that leads to a crisis—or the preparation for such an incident—depend on whether it’s approached from the perspective of the incident or the crisis.
Kuiper & Burger can assist in identifying potential incidents and determining the measures needed to prevent or mitigate their consequences.
If an incident or significant near miss has occurred, Kuiper & Burger can help with the incident analysis using the Tripod method. This method helps uncover all the information relevant to analyzing the incident. The Tripod method first identifies failed safety measures, then delves deeper: what were the immediate causes, conditions, and underlying factors? All organizational levels—executive, management, and employees—are involved, and all available knowledge is used to reveal the real causes. The goal of the Tripod method is not to assign blame, but to learn from the incident. This enables companies to improve the processes that led to the crisis, preventing not just the same incident but also a range of similar incidents in the future. It makes the business process more transparent, allowing for meaningful improvements.
We also have proprietary software that creates a Tripod tree for the incident. This one-page diagram clearly shows what happened, how it happened, and why it happened.
We’re eager to share our expertise in incident analysis through our two-day training program on the Tripod method. The cost is €-- per participant (excluding VAT). We also offer in-house training or short masterclasses. Each participant receives three months of free access to the software for practice. For information on the next scheduled training, click here.
You can also purchase a license for the software. As a web tool, no installation is required on your system. A license is available from €-- excl. VAT. For more information, click here.
For further inquiries, please contact my colleague, Marco van de Pavoordt.
