It Can't Happen to Us

The phrase has become the most frequently used defensive mechanism used by managers to deny the risk of a crisis affecting them. However, companies who choose to ignore history are destined to repeat it.

Crises are inevitably. With that said, it is better to learn from them, than to deny them all together. Our textbook Crisis Management in the New Strategy Landscape talks about crises as both negative situations and opportunities for organizational learning. Important questions to ask: What crisis warning signs were missed? How can communication networks improve so the company can respond better during the next crisis?

In a previous blog I talked about Kitson Boutique’s crisis with US Weekly, and the magazine’s lack of publicity of the company. Thankfully the crisis did not tarnish Kitson’s image, yet it can be used as a learning experience for the company. Changes in the crisis management plan should be made to ensure the stability and safety of Kitson in the future. For instance, Kitson could reestablish the company’s objectives, redesign their strategies, recognize the presence of interdependence in all departments within the company or build resilience through redundancy.

Nevertheless, learning from previous mistakes is a an important part of crisis communications. If a company learns from a crisis than its crisis management plan has been successful.

Peace, Love & Fashion!!!