CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN DIGITAL AGE

CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN DIGITAL AGE

 Crisis management is based on risk management, namely, on “activities performed toward preventing and evaluating of events of various origins, without initiating prevention steps, but trying to diminish the chances of risk development, or by initiating protective steps, trying to reduce the risk effects”. However, in order to prevent undesired events from occurring, or to diminish their chances of appearance, it is necessary to build and manage an image of the organization, as a sum of all reference systems of the target public or as a sum of all reference systems within the strategic interest group of the organization. Building the organization image is the responsibility of the public relations department and it takes time, phenomenon that may be synonymous with continuous communication.

To make itself identifiable, the organization needs to emit messages regarding its functioning and its associated competence and responsibility. Reviewing the entire approach, crisis management implies two previous stages: image building and managing and risk management, responsibilities that belong to the public relations structure. The position of crisis management within an organization strategy This approach involves an integrated analysis of issues, both at decision - making level and at public relations level. For us to be able to accomplish this integrated approach, we have to analyze the life cycle of risks in direct connection with the conflict stages, disagreement confrontation escalation de- escalation solving Crisis stages (Meng – Hainsworth) potential crisis emergent crisis current crisis latent crisis stages (Fink) crisis preparation acute crisis chronic crisis end Capacity of action possibility of influencing difficulty in influencing Preponderant area of competence risk management crisis management Building / managing the organization image Risk management Crisis management  Recommended proactive management reactive management type of management interactive management  Crises taxonomies

Examining the conflict stages as shown by Donelson F. Forsyth, we discover that a disagreement implies the manifestation of differences, the existence of certain tensions (potential risk), a confrontation equals the intensification of differences (emergent risk), escalation is represented by real crisis situations, characterized by tensions, uncontrollable arguments, while the de-escalation and conflict solving are stages characterized by formal compulsions, by interventions for identifying a compromise and reaching an agreement, respectively, for eliminating animosities or reducing them to a controllable level of a latent crisis.

Conclusively The tendencies identification becomes the responsibility of the team specialized in risk management if that particular organization includes such a structure, or of the specialists belonging to programming and planning departments. During this stage, those events capable of inducing conflicting situations become visible. If risk is eradicated in its incipient phase, the organization’s credibility increases, its image becomes clear and powerful. However, reaching such performance asks for a lot of experience and for an integrated public relations policy. Most of the organizations though, still neglect the source of conflict because they lack experience or are unable to face the unpredictable or to promote integrating policies.

By:  ULAYA SIJALI A. (BAPRM 42681)