Collaborative Crisis Management

"All organizations are under threat from risks both internal and external that can result in serious crises. Managing risk and crisis in a complex, information (and misinformation) rich, and interdependent world is the key task leaders face. In this book Tom Cole, a noted corporate attorney, collaborates with Paul Verbinnen, an expert on communications in crises, to show how leadership should manage risk, and prepare for and handle crises. The steps, plans, and cautions they offer demonstrate that organizations can deal strategically with crisis, survive, and prosper. The authors cover internal and external crises ranging from defective products to cyberattacks and the COVID pandemic. The authors outline a series of steps an organization should take, beginning with an analysis of likely risks and potential crises, with an emphasis on preparation and planning before a crisis happens. After a crisis is over, they stress the importance of reviewing how the crisis was handled to derive lessons for the future. They draw together the legal, organizational, and communications challenges posed by a crisis, showing how they relate to each other in developing strategy. They creatively use examples from recent crises, critiquing how organizations have handled different aspects of crises. This is a book for managers of both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, their board members, those involved in aspects of crisis management, students, and journalists"--