Good practice in crisis management
Since 2008, Swiss companies subject to ordinary or limited audit have been legally required to provide information every year on the performance of their risk assessment (CO 663b).
This assessment is a sine qua non of good corporate management. However, once this review has been done, it can give a false sense of security, whereas Murphy’s law teaches us that “it is by imagining that nothing more can happen to us that everything can fall on us”.
It is therefore equally essential to prepare to face the unexpected, which can have a major impact on the survival of the company: the crisis.
It is therefore not only about anticipating and deploying measures to mitigate identified risks, but about organising and preparing to face the unpredictable.
A crisis gives rise to
- disruptions of decision-making procedures,
- a hostile environment,
- and an acceleration of the course of events.
The word crisis comes from the Greek KRISIS, meaning to decide, to make a choice.
→ The problem is not to predict the unpredictable, ...
... but to train to face it ←
→ The problem is not to have plans to avoid being surprised, ...
... but to train to be surprised ←
→ The problem is not to have all the answers, ...
... but to be able to ask questions outside the box ←
Once the crisis strikes, it is too late to get organised. Panic and cacophony threaten.
Although a crisis is unpredictable, it is possible to prepare for it. This means
- preparing for the worst,
- understanding that the crisis will always occur in a way we had not foreseen,
- ensuring permanent responsiveness and adaptability,
- regularly training intervention procedures in unannounced ways.
This requires putting in place
- a command organisation: the crisis unit,
- a command process,
- and the installation of command infrastructure and resources.
Over the course of their experience, army and police staffs have developed good practices from which companies should draw inspiration to prepare to manage the worst.
Philippe Lorenz, associate partner of Enatis, is certified in crisis management by the Savatan police academy. He is able to support any company wishing to prepare to face a crisis.
Interested in our articles and developments? Follow our LinkedIn page.
Would you like to know more about how Enatis can support your development? Feel free to contact us with no obligation.