crisis management

Crisis Management Rationale

Crisis Management (CM) is the systematic attempt to avoid organizational crises or to manage those crisis events that do occur.  A crisis is a major, unpredictable event that threatens to harm an organization and its stakeholders. 

The federal government now requires the following:

• Facilities must have a Crisis Management Plan (CMP) and procedures that address the actions employees must take to assure their collective safety during an emergency.
• The CMP must include information on applicable emergency procedures for general evacuation, fire reporting, medical emergencies, bomb threats, tornado safety, notification procedures for deaths, hazardous material releases, earthquakes or structural failure, armed robbery, and media-related events.
• All employees (including employees who are new to a facility) must be trained to respond to various emergencies that may occur.  Employees must be notified whenever there are major changes to the procedures.
• Campus CMP’s are now a requirement for schools seeking Title IV funds (Pell grants, Perkins loans, etc.), both in the House and Senate versions of HEA reauthorization, though certain details differ in exact implementation.  This is a change from current law.  Schools who do not comply risk losing Title IV funding, or could face other penalties or sanctions.  Specifically, House bill HR 4137 requires institutions of higher education to include a statement of their policies regarding immediate emergency response and evacuation procedures.  Among other things, these policies must include procedures to notify the campus community within 30 minutes in the event of an emergency or dangerous situation occurring on-campus, and procedures to test emergency response and evacuation procedures annually.

CM Services

The Clements Group’s crisis management services have been developed as a means of initially assisting community and technical colleges in preparing for, documenting, advancing, and integrating more effectively the procedures associated with emergency and crisis management.  These services include:

• Crisis Management Snapshot.  This technique is designed to survey and assess fundamental aspects of a college’s current emergency operational plan and procedures and its management teams, as well as provide recommendations for more effective utilization and documentation for compliance with federal statutes and regulations.  Data is acquired via on-line survey techniques which pertain to perceptions and attitudes of key personnel and constituency groups, as well as a review of operational and logistical aspects of the crisis management program.  Findings, conclusions, and recommendations for strategic change are provided in both report and presentation formats.
• Crisis Management Institutional Assessment.  This assessment model is a comprehensive approach designed to evaluate crisis management plans; guidelines and procedures focusing on mitigation and preparedness; detection and incident classifications; institutional infrastructures and facilities management; notification and communications plans; team roles responsibilities, including public relations; training mechanisms and resources; and information management. Three primary areas of concentration are provided, including a vulnerability assessment, crisis planning, and crisis response training.  In addition, a strategic compliance report is provided, discerning areas of necessary change.  A series of on-site visitations over a three-month timeline is required as a means of assessing programmatic aspects and collecting prerequisite information and materials.

Outcomes of a CM Snapshot

At the conclusion of the crisis management snapshot, the following outcomes will be realized:

• Assessment of the colleges’ “Incident Alert and Communication Systems”, including the structure, personnel, and roles and responsibilities
• Review of “Emergency Situation Guidelines, Plans and Notification Processes”
• Evaluation of “Incident Command Post and Team Processes and Procedures”
• Review of “Environmental and Community Health and Safety Procedures”
• Review of “Facilities, Information, and Infrastructure Procedures”
• Assessment of public relations plans
• Evaluation of site-specific plans, manuals and procedures
• Ability to assess the situation from inside and outside the organization as all stakeholders might perceive it
• Techniques to direct action(s) to contain the likely or perceived damage spread
• Increased effectiveness in rapidly triggering part(s) of business continuity management
• Better organizational resilience for all stakeholders
• Compliance with regulatory and ethical requirements (e.g. social responsibility)
• Improved management of serious incidents or any incident that could escalate
• Improved staff awareness of their roles and expectations within the organization in the event of a crisis situation
• Increased ability, confidence, and morale within the organization in the event of a crisis situation
• Enhanced risk management, insofar that obvious risks will be identified and mitigated (where possible) as prepared for through crisis and business continuity management
• Protected (and often enhanced) reputation, and thus, a much-reduced risk of post-event litigation

Outcomes of a CM Assessment

At the conclusion of the crisis management assessment, the following outcomes will be realized:

• Vulnerability Assessment.  A multi-disciplinary risk assessment to determine current and potential areas of operational weakness and strength, and potential solutions, because identified weaknesses may result in emergencies or crises of varying magnitudes if not corrected.  The scope of a vulnerability assessment can vary, depending on client preferences and needs.  Often, a vulnerability assessment identifies situations and system weaknesses that can be completely avoided, precluding that type of crisis altogether.
• Crisis Planning.  Creating a written CMP based on the results of the vulnerability assessment.  A partial list of plan components, the institution’s crisis management philosophy, identification of the crisis communications team (and others who might assist the team in certain situations), 24/7 contact lists for all internal and external stakeholders, and draft key messages for different categories of potential crises.  A plan needs to be consequence-focused, versus scenario-focused (i.e. there are a lot of scenarios that could result in catastrophic loss of one’s institution, but the basic consequence is the same for all).
• Crisis Response Training.  Potential participants in crisis response need to be formally trained in the basic tenets of crisis management.  Upon completion of training, simulations should be conducted to test and refine their newly acquired skills, with simulations repeated periodically to maintain competence.

The Clements Group and Virtual Ed Link have created a strategic partnership to provide community/technical colleges with a customized solution for the development and implementation of effective two-year college crisis management programs.