Friday, April 27, 2007

New Crisis Management Dynamics Emerge

by

So many recent headlines – including the Virginia Tech shootings, the pet food recall and the JetBlue debacle – serve as reminders that most organizational crisis communication plans need a 21st century update.

The new crisis management world is summarized nicely in a Time article this week. It cites several factors that have contributed to the evolving environment:

• Continuous reporting from television, traditional media, online video and other new sources
• Rampant online speculation and commentary through blogs and other social media
• Citizen journalists who capture video and images through mobile devices

The citizen journalism impact was especially clear at Virginia Tech, where tech-savvy students captured astonishing video and posted their updates online within minutes of the disaster. The emergence of cell phone video alone is significant, and it has even prompted discussions whether citizens are jeopardizing their personal safety as they attempt to document the events.

Despite the new dynamics, traditional crisis communication fundamentals and planning remain relevant. The Time article notes that organizations still need to proactively anticipate the most devastating crisis situations and think through their response. Sadly, those worst-case scenarios have become more grim and shocking in recent weeks.