The fate of institutions is not changed by crises but crisis management

Stating that it is not the crisis itself that changes the fate of institutions, but the crisis management process, experts say that an institution that identifies predictable causes of crises can prevent possible crises by adopting a proactive crisis management approach. Emphasizing that it is also crucial to transfer accurate information and take transparency into account in moments of crisis, Assoc. Prof. Pınar Aslan points out that setting a strategy facilitates crisis management and that the most important stakeholder in this process is the employees of the institution.

Accurate information transfer and transparency are crucial...

Assoc. Prof. Pınar Aslan, who is instructor at Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication, Department of Public Relations and Publicity, made remarks on crisis situations in institutions and made recommendations on how crisis processes should be managed.

Crises can be prevented with proactive management

Emphasizing that crises are considered as extraordinary situations and cause disruption of the normal functioning of institutions, Assoc. Prof. Pınar Aslan said that "The causes of crises are divided into two as predictable and unpredictable. An organization that identifies predictable causes of crises can prevent these potential crises by adopting a proactive crisis management approach. On the other hand, every institution has the possibility of experiencing unpredictable crises, and it is possible to say that every institution may experience such crises, especially since the pace brought by today's communication technologies increases the pace of explosion and spread of crises.".

The principle of transparency should be considered in times of crisis

Assoc. Prof. Pınar Aslan stated that transparency should be at the top of the list of things to be done in case of crisis and continued as follows:

"Moments of crisis are times when truth becomes even more important. Especially when today's communication environments are considered, it will be understood that the greatest favor that an institution that wants to avoid risky environments such as disinformation and information gaps can do to itself is to accept the existence of the crisis and not to stop telling the truth no matter what. When considered within the framework of reputation management, it should not be forgotten that by choosing to tell the truth in moments of crisis, a positive contribution is made to the reputation, so that it is possible to get out of the crisis with at least minimal damage. It is also crucial to convey the right information in moments of crisis and to consider the principle of continuity in the transparency process. The expectation of the target audience for explanation and information flow should not be failed and behaviors that would contradict the message 'You can get the most accurate information from us in the fastest way' should be avoided. In this way, the target audience will not need to look for an alternative source of information.".

It is a mistake to start crisis management without setting a strategy!

Assoc. Prof. Pınar Aslan stated that the steps to be followed in case of crisis should be in the form of determining the strategy, taking quick action, conducting preliminary research, prioritizing the internal communication process and informing the target audience, and said, "It is a common mistake to start the crisis management process without determining a strategy. Many institutions are acting without thinking about being caught unprepared in a crisis, which causes the crisis to grow even more. Setting a strategy makes it easier to manage the crisis. It will be enough for the institution, which is trying to understand what happens in the moment of crisis and to reach the right information, to give a message with the theme 'We are trying to understand what happened and we are investigating'. In addition, it is important to act quickly.”.

Not acknowledging the existence of a crisis is a crucial mistake

Pointing out that another mistake made by institutions is not accepting the existence of the crisis and acting late in taking action, Assoc. Prof. Pınar Aslan said that "Therefore, the rapid action of an institution that accepts the existence of the crisis within the framework of the strategy determined by it is a situation that will change the course of the crisis. In this process, it is very important to do research and have information about the situation. Determining the next step without doing any research, without knowing what the target audience thinks, comes with risks. It is possible to say that today's technologies offer a great opportunity to measure how the target audience meets the crisis. For this reason, investigating the initial reaction of the target audience and the media and taking action shows how the content of the statement to be made about the crisis should be.".

The most important shareholder in crisis moments is employees!

Underlining that the most important stakeholder to be considered in times of crisis is the employees of the institution, Assoc. Prof. Pınar Aslan said that "Crises are times when internal communication gains strategic importance. Informing employees before everyone else will make it easier to control the crisis. When we think about the crises today, we should not forget the possible share of employees, especially in the videos leaked to social media. A well-informed, trusting employee provides an important representation as an ambassador of the organization and adds value to the crisis management process.".

Crisis management is changing the fate of institutions

Assoc. Prof. Pınar Aslan said that another important stage in a crisis situation is to inform the target audience and concluded her remarks as follows:

"Transparency, continuity and sincerity are issues that should never be forgotten in the process of informing the target audience. Crises are extraordinary situations that every institution can face, and what changes the fate of institutions is the crisis management process, not the crisis itself. Especially, it is quite important that the target audience is informed through all the channels it accesses. An institution that has managed to establish a trust-based and transparent relationship with its internal and external target audience will have the opportunity to successfully continue its reputation management while being able to get out of crisis moments with minimum damage.".

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)