HOW TO RESPOND TO A CRISIS

They say, all is well, that ends well. This is something we tell ourselves after going through murky waters. Sometimes how something ends, does not imply it is well. It could be the beginning of something dire.

Forest Wildfire

Growing up we were always told that, the devil comes out to patrol at night. Those he finds still awake, will have to meet him. In our tiny minds we deciphered what it meant. We would make haste to fall asleep as soon as we went to bed. Many years later, now an adult, I have come to appreciate that despite the old story,  bad things do happen at night. A time when the world is fast asleep.

The money market crashes. A company that was worth billions, files for bankruptcy. A certain political figure decides to have sexual relations with a notorious prostitute. His illustrious career takes a nose dive. Thugs, go after the director of a company and kill him. Culminating in an investigation that drags the good name of the company through mad. Teachers, issue a 12 midnight ultimatum, which the government fails to honour. An office building burns down sending thousands home. One catastrophe after another. Eventually, when morning comes, you find yourself staring at multiple crises straight in the eyes. Whoever blinks first, looses.

If you wake up to this rude stare; always remember the ultimate goal is to maintain the image of the affected party. The company whose stocks went down. The Politician who strayed. The burnt office building: you have to maintain their respective images. And how do you do this?

Benoit, a proponent of the Image Restoration theory (1995) put forth techniques used when faced with a crisis. These are:

Denial

This strategy is employed by many, like it is second nature. Usually, when a crisis hits, one with a scandalous vibe to it, the affected party usually deny their involvement. The Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal comes to mind. When striking teachers in Kenya, demanded that the government revisit their request and make due their promise as passed by the courts, the Teachers Service Commission denied having the money to meet the request. Creating a back and forth kind of reaction, to date. It is now 4 weeks.

The famous Moses Kuria, after being caught on video inciting a local community against a particular community, he denied it. Efforts by one of the leading media houses, Citizen TV, to clarify the matter were met with an apathetic response. He had the audacity to walk out of an interview on air, when they were about to play the footage. A clear statement that he is distancing himself from the issue.

In all these cases, to date no party has accepted responsibility. It follows, we have forgotten about the whole issue.

Evading Responsibility

This tact is employed to throw the ball to someone else. Perhaps in an effort to strategise, if and when the issue gets worse.

The Kenyan government has realized that the teachers will not budge. They have resorted to involve the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

It has called on the teachers to indulge the SRC in the dispute for they are mandated to handle anything and everything that appertains to Salaries of all public servants in the country. Despite the teachers demanding the government to heed the court's ruling, which was again reversed, the government sits pretty knowing it has tossed the ball to the SRC.

The media outlets reported, that Sarah Serem, would in fact resign if the government would decide to pay the teachers. Well, we wait.

Reducing Offensiveness

We often hear people saying; if the kitchen is too hot, get out. This is true in a crisis. If one party realizes, the one on the defense, things are getting hotter an act of making it less offensive is devised. The aim is to cushion the defensive party from the heat.

This may take many forms, but dialogue is the most common. The disputed elections of 2007/08 led to a national catastrophe. The whole fate of the country lay with Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga and retired President Mwai Kibaki. If they wouldn't have agreed to get into a room and talk it out; the Kenya we know today, wouldn't be in existence.

Corrective Action

In all crises, their is always an objective in mind. Let alone image maintenance: this is the objective. Consider the striking teachers; for the strike to end, the government has to effect the 50-60% pay rise. And as far as the union is concerned, the teachers seem not to be interested in any other outcome. Unless the government heeds this call, then the strike is still ongoing.

In other words, if employees are  striking for better pay, unless management meets this demand then the crisis will morph into something catastrophic. That is what we refer to as corrective action: deciding to take action in a bid to correct the situation that caused the crisis in the first place. Usually, the sooner the better. Effect the pay and be done with it.

Mortification

According to dictionary.com, mortification is a feeling of humiliation or shame, as through some injury to one's pride or self-respect. The after math of a crisis will always drag with it a sense of shame. More so to the party that seemed immovable rather arrogant during the whole period.

I remember hearing terms like: 'Can't pay, won't pay.' The teachers responded with their, 'Can't teach. Won't teach' version. Whichever direction the strikes goes, one party is bound to experience some humiliation. Usually, its the management or a politician in case of a sexual scandal. They end up being the victims of shame.

In quick review; when in crisis mode consider Benoit's regimen. Denial, evading responsibility, reducing offensiveness, corrective action and mortification. In your everyday encounters, use the above to fix a crisis in your company and or surrounding. Let me know how it goes.