Tactical ingenuity: new techniques for surviving corporate crises

Abstract

Business organizations are perceived to handle crises badly, and that is often true. Although corporations in crisis are in a stronger position than anyone else to shape the outcome, impact and ultimate perception of events, their actions do not achieve improvement in perception. Instead, businesses seem to allow themselves to be overwhelmed by surprise. Yet crises, while differing in nature, scope and effect, share common elements and patterns. By developing strate gies and process, corporate managers can counteract the effect of surprise. This article focuses on the threat to organizational credibility and reputa tion, internally and externally, during crises and proposes that, while corpora tions are often co-creators of their own crises, the predictability of both the conditions created by a crisis and the responses to it allow the tactically savvy corporation to take control, manage its exposure and limit the damage to its reputation and credibility. The article presents goals, structures and strategies managers can use, no matter what the crisis. Patterns of crisis and organizational response are de scribed. It suggests a multi-dimensional thinking process both to explain how successful crisis management strategies are created and to help managers de velop and use tactical ingenuity during crisis incidents. The observations, com ments and ideas are based on the author's practical, day-to-day field experience as a "hands-on" crisis consultant and manager.