Today’s Crises Require Countermeasures
Brett Bruen for PR News
Your crisis capabilities are increasingly ineffective. It’s time we recognize that the traditional tools just aren’t working as well as they used to for companies. The outdated stuff largely focuses on reacting, rather than robustly engaging amidst adversity. The preset is on protection, as opposed to being proactive. In an age when risk has gone regular, we really need to rethink the ole’ batten down the hatches theory of crisis management.
How can your company better respond as risks start to rise? One of the cutting-edge concepts is the notion of a countermeasure. It’s based on the belief that you can and should do more than focus on surviving the current crisis. Instead, we need to start getting better at thriving in these tumultuous times.
A countermeasure is a new program, process, or policy introduced into a crisis. You ideally build them ahead of time around your most likely and damaging vulnerabilities. The intent is to help your company elevate its core values and evolve the emphasis from an individual, isolated incident. A well-designed countermeasure allows you to find a post-crisis future faster.
Others may try to focus on the problems. You are trying to make progress. A countermeasure is a tangible demonstration of your company’s commitment to addressing the current challenge and putting in place strong, sustainable solutions. In short, it helps you create a more constructive context for conversations around the crisis.
The response by many companies during a crisis comes too slow, is too small, along with often being far too short on details and depth. There are countless recent cases where things went from bad to worse because of inadequate, inauthentic efforts exposed in the face of heightened scrutiny. Countermeasures are able to be deployed quickly, on a large scale, and with a level of preparation that makes them far more credible.
This isn’t about optics. The weakness inherent in crisis management 1.0 is the antiquated theory that some superficial statements or steps can go a long way towards solving your problem. Many companies have learned the hard way that simply no longer holds true. A countermeasure is made for a time when you have to not only say, but show the impact you are making, especially when the bright lights are shining on your story.
Let me give you a few examples. A client came to us concerned about the Trump Administration’s plan to eliminate a program on which their work depended. Everyone in the industry was organizing against the move. But, they had built it in an us versus them frame. That approach wasn’t going to change anyone’s mind in the White House. We created a countermeasure that focused on the value of the program to American companies and workers. Rather than fall into the negative narrative, they were able to have the debate on their terms.
An incident with an individual executive or employee is another common application for a countermeasure. It could happen at any time, to any one in your company. The key is to be able to show that there is not a systematic issue. In some ways, such an incident can allow you to illuminate the positive policies, processes, and people already in place. You then want to be able to productively discuss the lessons learned from what may have been an isolated issue and how they are already helping to improve safety and quality.
The nature of crises has changed dramatically. So too does the way we respond. Countermeasures enable you to much more effectively change the dynamics and direction of a crisis. They look beyond the present problem, to tomorrow’s possibilities. Because one of the silver linings in all of this disruption is that new opportunities are constantly emerging. Seizing them, requires equipping yourself ahead of time with the tools to sail through the storm.