Imagine your organization goes through an event that causes irreparable damage and you discover that the situation could have been avoided or addressed better. Many times, organizations may prevent a crisis by managing small situations and incidents in a timely manner. They can also mitigate the effects of a crisis, even if its occurrence could not be stopped. This can be done by implementing processes and procedures for preventing, preparing for, and responding to a crisis, which constitutes crisis management. 

What is ISO 22361 Crisis management?

The ISO 22361 standard provides guidance for organizations to develop, establish, maintain, monitor, and continually improve a strategic crisis management capability. In addition, it outlines principles and practices needed to identify and manage a crisis. ISO 22361 recommends that organizations adopt a structured approach to crisis management by establishing a framework for crisis management based on leadership, structure, culture, and competence, and adhering to principles for crisis management. ISO 22361 guidelines can be helpful in identifying and managing for any organization, regardless of their type, size, or industry.

Moreover, the standard describes the crisis management process, which consists of seven steps: anticipation, assessment, prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and continual improvement. 

Why is Crisis management important for you?   

How an organization responds to a crisis is very important as it affects its existence and reputation. Crisis management enables organizations to implement effective standardized procedures for identifying and assessing potential crises, such as preventing them. When preventing is not possible, crisis management will also enable organizations to successfully prepare for, respond to, and recover from a crisis. Whereas, crisis recovery helps organizations regain their reputation, develop adequate strategies to return to normal operations, and adapt to potential changes arising from a crisis.

Preparing for crises includes developing a crisis management plan, which will direct crisis management and enable the organization to prepare its response procedures. It also enables to make sound decisions within time constraints and conduct initial impact assessments in order to mitigate the negative consequences of a crisis. A significant factor that impacts crisis management is the establishment of effective communication channels and development of a communication plan. Nowadays, news can travel very fast through online platforms. Hence, it is important that organizations communicate with relevant stakeholders regularly and not withhold information that is relevant to employees, customers, and other interested parties.

Benefits of crisis management

Organizations that establish a crisis management capability based on the ISO 22361 guidelines will be able to:

• Maintain, monitor, and improve their crisis management capability 
• Ensure the commitment of leadership to crisis management
• Facilitate strategic decision-making before, during, and after a crisis 
• Establish effective internal and external communication channels that are beneficial in times of crisis
• Improve organizational resilience 
• Establish, foster, and promote safety culture

How do I get started with Crisis management training course?

If you want to learn about concepts and principles of crisis management and how to build a crisis management capability successfully, PECB training courses will meet your needs. We will assist you throughout the entire process to offer you a worthwhile experience.