crisis management

Implementation of systems within an organization to deal with potential crises. The emphasis of crisis management is on planning in advance in order to take a systematic proactive approach rather than to deal with crises in an ad hoc reactive manner.

Fundamental tenets of crisis management include: being open and providing accurate information instead of attempting to cover up; reacting quickly because playing for time and indecision are counterproductive; responding from the top because CEO involvement demonstrates a company is treating the crisis seriously; and expediency. Above all it is essential to have a coherent strategy. Regardless of size, all companies may suffer crises. Major companies such as Exxon, Perrier, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, and British Airways have all had to deal with corporate crises.