Are there any set of rules or ways to handle a crisis communication that may affect effective society, organizations, and government entities. There is no set ways to handle a crisis and having the understanding and preparation to face one can be challenging. Society seems to always have a crisis when leadership steps in to fix the problem or attempt to fix the issue. In today's world, leaders in strategic communication have to continue to evolve to keep up with the technological changes that are growing in the social media world. Social media tends to be the heart and soul of the Millennial generation when it comes to freedom of speech and expression. This topic will shed some light on how leaders in crisis management can focus on problems that may persist in our society, and over the years there have been enough. Finding a better understanding of how strategic communication works when dealing with negative messages exploding on social or traditional media is when a leader will look at present mistakes in order to prevent future ones and this blog will enhance a fundamental clarification.
What is crisis management? The meaning is very simple; the ability to handle a disaster whether natural, an organization, government, or business that may create a problem for individuals or entities affected by the results. On a daily basis, we can see or hear some type of crisis on the television, newspapers, or the car radio that goes in detail about a companies situation. James and Wooten (2008) indicated "these organizational crises includes events such as natural disasters, product recalls, corporate fraud, widespread sexual harassment, or employee discrimination against employees." Not just only these type of crisis mass shootings, police shootings, and violent protest. Leaders must have a strategic communication plan in place to deal with any fall backs that may occur through from unknowing or knowing incidents. As we learn previously every leader must have a vision that will benefit all parties involved. Leaders in crisis management must have meetings with their team and keep stakeholders up-to-date on the decision-making process.
Let's take a look at the 2012 South Carolina data compromised that consisted of 3.6 million social security numbers and 387,000 debit cards numbers being stolen. This type of criminal activity could have jeopardized a lot of people financial security and future because of foreign predators. Leaders within South Carolina should've been more cautious in monitoring Social Security numbers, and the Gov. Haley had to take the blame because of her position. The leader's strategic strategy was to come together with law enforcement to come up with solutions and handle the situation. This type of action involve the internal communication and then the external communication in letting citizens know of the breach and what actions needed to be taken. Since I am a South Carolina resident, I had to continue monitoring my credit to make sure nothing was put on there without my permission. The leaders provided everyone with a free year subscription of credit monitoring and theft protection to help the citizens.
The example of the South Carolina data breach shows how one must always be prepared for a crisis management. The social media help relay information to the people that had no idea of the incident of stolen social security numbers and once the information got out it went downhill from there. The leadership had to put out information involving a strategic plan to help alleviate the citizens fear of information being utilized. Having a strategic policy in place became more of a priority for government leadership in hopes of prevention and better communication for this type of crisis. Once leaders in crisis management begin to understand the severity of a situation without being pressured from society, then major issues can be minimized. We must realize that leadership and development are at the forefront of any crisis.
Leaders must have 1) vision, 2) investigation, 3) plan to handle internal and external communication, and 4) fix the problem as I have learned in previous jobs about crisis management. Leaders should always be attentive and ready for anything. Once information gets on social media, then it's everywhere, and a majority of the people will see what information is being posted by a few individuals. Now with social media it's like rolling rocks on a mountain, once one falls others will follow. Leaders should always put out the correct information to eliminate any confusion that may persist or will persist. Never leave individuals to continue using social media friends as a source of information. All crisis may not get handled according to or effectively but as a leader making an attempt is crucial in showing concern. Communication is the key when managing a crisis and collaborating with a team of individuals to focus on strategic communication is critical. Every leader needs a team and motivation skills to have every member on the same page.
This post and topic for this week hit home due to myself being involved in such a crisis in South Carolina that consisted of social security numbers being stolen. The information established in this post can be beneficial as a leader involving a crisis management. Gaining the power of knowledge every week can influence and help others to become better leaders whether in the community, government, or any business. As a leader, one must never give up finding solutions to a problem and always work on turning a negative into a positive. During these few weeks, the information presented has been beneficial to me when learning about things that I thought I knew and I hope this information helps you in your work world when dealing crisis management.
Look forward to next week and continue to post information on strategic communication and leadership. Hope you enjoyed this knowledge.
Reference
Wooten, L. P., & James, E. H. (2008). Linking Crisis Management and Leadership Competencies: The Role of Human Resource Development. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 10(3), 352-379. doi:10.1177/1523422308316450
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