Crisis Chaos II – Where Do We Begin?
One of the most important steps in successful crisis management is determining what type of crisis we are dealing with — and choosing the right strategy accordingly.
This step is crucial because it defines whether a company positions itself as responsible or as a victim, and from which narrative it tells its story. From a communication standpoint, crises can be divided into three main categories, based primarily on their root cause:
- vis maior disasters or other external circumstances
- individual error/sabotage
- crises resulting from corporate operations
For an organisation, the “easiest” approach is to cite the first category, since few would think of blaming a company for a natural disaster or even a cyberattack. But — especially in Hungary — scapegoating is also a common tactic: shifting responsibility to an isolated employee or subcontractor, claiming that “we had no idea what they were doing” and thus cannot be held accountable. Much like in the series Succession, where the responsibility is pushed onto one of the children who happens to be a senior executive in the family mega-corporation. Yet this tactic carries a significant risk.
How believable is it that no one else in the wider organisation was responsible, had oversight, or — even worse — encouraged the behaviour that led to the crisis? As in fiction, a poorly chosen strategy in reality can deepen the crisis, because in such situations — from a purely communication perspective — the most valuable asset is credibility. Once a company loses that, the way back is difficult.
So the question stands: how can we quickly and effectively determine what type of crisis we are facing?
This is where a structured system becomes invaluable: enabling early detection of an emerging crisis, ensuring the right questions are asked of the right people, and allowing the organisation to develop an effective, credible strategy based on real answers. At FleishmanHillard Café, this is why we believe in system-building over preparing for preset scenarios — and in asking hard questions to uncover real answers.
