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Why the creation of a crisis-resistant culture is your first step in crisis prevention

October 13, 2016 by Jonathan Hemus

Some crises are completely unpredictable and unpreventable. Some, but not very many. And even then, there are steps you can take to reduce their impact. 

Crisis resistant culture

 Usually though, by creating a crisis resistant culture, you can reduce the likelihood of a crisis occurring in the first place, and be ready to respond quickly and effectively to the first signs of a problem. It’s one of the key reasons that Sir Richard Branson has yet to put a foot wrong in his responses to the crises Virgin has faced.

Crisis prone culture

So what is that makes for a crisis prone culture? There are a number of factors including: 

crisis leadership
Number-1

Structure – beware over-centralisation and a strict hierarchy

Number-2

Attitudes – do people feel comfortable sending bad news up the line?

Number-3

Values – do we live and breathe our values or are words like ‘integrity and ‘safety’ mere slogans on our website?

There are many steps that an organisation can take to ensure that it is ready to do and say the right thing in the event of a crisis. Crisis management planning, crisis management training, exercising and testing often form the heart of this.

All of these steps are important, but underpinning everything must be the creation of a crisis resilient culture. Get that part right, and everything else will follow.

Click on the RESOURCE DOWNLOAD below to get your free copy of our report ‘Creating a crisis resistant culture’ to learn more about how culture can help you to prevent and respond to crises.

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