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Contingency planning and emergency
preparedness are not cheap insurance nor unnecessary pessimism.
Organizations that practice contingency and emergency planning are more
likely to survive a crisis. Disaster planning increases the likelihood that
organizations survive.
Our offers include coaching and
training in emergency planning. This support is especially relevant to smaller
organizations, who often risk more than larger organizations; yet are less
likely to invest the time, effort, and resources for emergency preparedness.
Emergency plans are good business sense.
Following a crisis or disaster, the first organizations "back on
line" are often well positioned to create a lot of new business.
Some important questions for your organization
or business are:
- What could disrupt your key people or resources?
- What emergency and crisis plans are already in place?
- Which key people are needed for the organization to function?
- Which key resources are needed for the organization to survive?
Fire Plans may be legal requirements. An organization
situated on low ground or below a dam may also require a Flood Plan.
Some organizations have Tornado Plans, Hurricane Plans and Bomb Alert Plans.
Other types of crisis include events such as loss of
critical suppliers, bankruptcy or near-bankruptcy, or threats of hostile
takeover. Equally important, and often ignored, are plans for the
mental health of staff following a crisis. Is psychiatric or professional
psychological assistance needed - or is individual coaching adequate for
assisting staff to regain "balance"?
In a crisis, success depends at least as much on people skills
as on professional training. Our systemic coaching can provide guidance and
objectivity needed for crisis environments. Poor people skills can
threaten careers, workgroups and even organizations. We offer
opportunities to improve leadership and teamwork skills.
Emergency Planning often provides unexpected benefits.
Creating and exercising contingency plans causes managers to consider the
critical aspects of their departments in unusual ways, and identify
opportunities to become more efficient.
Stay Resourceful in Chaos . Verbal Aikido
. Survival in a Collapse
Crisis Management
1. Big Picture
Consider what can go wrong: is your organization
vulnerable to fire, flood, tornado, disease, workplace violence, hurricane,
bomb threats, the loss of key employees, burglary, computer crash - or
what? Make a skeleton plan or a goal walk or a mind map, and fill in the spaces.
2. Critical Situations
Identify which situations are most relevant to your organization, and
develop contingency plans for those situations first, then
plan for less likely events.
3. Contingency Planning Team
Select a contingency planning team. Include people with many perspectives on
the company’s vulnerabilities. For example, include someone with detailed
knowledge of the building and any computer network. Include department
managers and your human resources representative.
4. Contact Staff
List all staff names, and alternate ways that your people can
communicate with each other. Include home phone numbers, pager numbers,
non-work e-mail addresses, and mobile phone numbers. The more ways to contact
staff should disaster strike, the better. Keep the list updated.
Consider setting up a “phoneout tree” that can be activated in a crisis.
5. Designate Authority
Designate a decision-maker and at least one alternate. Those persons must
know the steps to take in crises, and how to reach staff and other essential
contacts (police specialists, fire department, clients, customers, etc).
Inform staff who will give directions during times of chaos.
6. Chain of command
Create a clear chain of command and authority. Consider military chains of
command, or governmental succession; and apply it
for your organization. If key people are missing, who will make key decisions?
7. List Vulnerabilities
Make a checklist. Does your office have an alarm system? Might
key staff be laid off? What if all telephones were disconnected?
What if a key supplier can’t move shipments? What if your intranet or
internet is "down"? Which scenarios are specific to which
organizations?
8. Alternative Workspace
Can your employees work from their homes? Will another company share
facilities with you until you move to a new location? Get answers now.
9. Backup Information
Maybe your staff back up computer data. Where are your important papers and files
– both print and electronic? Do you have recently backed data up off site?
10. Backup Knowledge
In smaller organizations, your assets may be largely vested in key individuals.
Model the expertise and skills of those individuals and pass it on.
Interview the key people and create educational materials. Start coaching,
training or mentoring programs of knowledge management. Document and educate
staff in essential knowledge. A Systemic Coach skilled in Expert Modeling can model
and duplicate your organization's expert performance.
11. Essential Resources
What’s needed to keep your organization running in a crisis? If
part of your organization shuts down, where would
revenue come from? What people, equipment, space, supplies, or services
can keep revenue flowing during a business
disruption?
12. Hire a Coach
As the contingency plan develops, hire a consultant –
someone familiar with emergency preparedness who can help streamline your
plan while filling critical holes. A Systemic Coach skilled in
emergency procedures may also edit your emergency manuals, provide emergency
preparedness training and liaise with local authorities.
13. Educate Staff
After your plan is in place, write manuals and educate your staff. Arrange
seminars and visits by emergency workers, police and fire officials,
etc. Tell your staff that their familiarity with disaster procedures will be
tested at random times. And follow through ... or ask us to do this.
14. Exercise Contingencies
Simulate some crisis scenarios. Shut down systems and monitor how your staff react.
Perhaps call the director of one location and tell him or her to disconnect
all electronic communication. What happens at other locations? What happens
if you shut down a main computer? What would your people do if there was a
disease scare? Simulate the loss of some key employees.
Stay current!
Disaster preparedness and response is needed by all organizations, yet is
especially important in smaller organizations. Create realistic plans,
regularly test your plans with drills and ensure that everyone in your
organization knows how to respond. Or let us do it for you.
For more on disaster planning and training, go to:
Emergency Preparedness
For information on Refugee Resettlement and coaching, go to:
Refugee Management
For international emergency resources, go to:
Crisis Contacts
Online Coaching &
Mentorship
Plagiarism is theft © Martyn Carruthers 2002-2011 All rights reserved
Martyn Carruthers was a paramedic (Royal Navy) and
served on nuclear submarines during the Cold War. He was a health physics and
safety officer at English and Canadian nuclear power stations, and Radiation
Protection Officer for the Canadian government, where he worked with Public Health
and Emergency Measures organizations. Martyn Carruthers is also the founder
of Systemic Solutions,
a complete system of coaching and mentorship. |
