Managing a Crisis

Managing a Crisis Using PR

According to Encarda Encyclopedia Crisis Management is the business or process of working through a crisis to solve or cope with problems as they arise.(http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861688570/crisis_management.html) In this simulation I was a PR Manager in a company that generates and distributes green electricity in San Francisco, California. The company set up a wind farm in Altamont Pass, California. Crisis struck with the occurrence of an accident at the wind farm. Every organization should have some type of plan in place to be ready if a crisis hits. Not every crisis can be planned for, but it makes things easier to deal with, if an organization has given some thought and planning as to how to manage one.

Proactive Planning

To be able to manage a crisis using PR you need to have a proactive plan in place before a crisis strikes. Proactive planning is "a way of looking at a system's operation which views its productive and commercial interactions with at least its immediate suppliers and its immediate customers" (www.interdynamics.com). In the case of Greenergy, their proactive planning consisted of having knowledgeable people to handle the crisis as well as ensuring that the proper training was given to the employees in regards to the equipment. As the PR manager, I choose to be honest with the public and keep them informed as to what we were doing about the incident and that the two people in charge at the time of the incident were no longer with the company.

Feedback Mechanisms

The feedback mechanisms that I would use during this crisis would CEO address, video news release, followed by web site press release and e-mails to stoke holders and a hotline for important information. The less effective mechanisms would be intranet memo and telephone calls. The information needs to reach the public in a timely manner to let the public know that we as an organization is working hard to investigate the situation and fix the problem.

What Not To Do

What you do not want to do in a crisis situation is lie or suppress the incident as these actions could be illegal and harmful to the company. Top management must be told about bad news immediately. The media