Tackling crisis at the workplace

By Goretti Kimani

A crisis is an event or situation that threatens to harm or destabilise. A crisis period is the ultimate testing time during which careers may be made or broken. Unfortunately more careers are broken than are made due to lack of crisis management skills.

When Peter took over as project head for the installation of a new ICT system, he never expected any major problems. In any case, he had handled many complex projects before. Just when everything was rolling well, the unthinkable happened. The supplier was suddenly declared bankrupt. This meant the expected support was suddenly withdrawn, and Peter had to go back to square one, and abandon a multimillion-dollar project right in the middle. Nobody had expected or even anticipated this turn of events. Peter could not cope and on the third day, he had a nervous breakdown.

Loss of time 

The truth is that anyone could find themselves in Peter’s shoes. All over the world, crisis situations are the order of the day. Irrespective of the level of preparation, we can never quite eliminate them. What we can do however is to prepare to deal with unforeseen circumstances and reduce the amount of damage.

To start with, one must be conscious of the threats that exist at work. Getting too comfortable is dangerous, and one can easily lose sight of the threats lurking in the shadows. This consciousness must extend beyond mere acknowledgement to include mitigation plans in case of an actual occurrence. This way, the impact of an occurrence can be reduced by a big proportion.

And once a crisis presents itself, the reaction must be immediate, starting with an objective appraisal of the situation. Ensure that you notify those most likely to be affected by the situation.

These may include colleagues and even customers. Alternative causes of action should then be drawn and the best possible option chosen. Everyone involved should then move full throttle to redeem the situation. During such periods, politics must be kept at bay as should personal feelings and biases. Take note to avoid loss of time as every minute could mean the difference between total loss and recovery

Finger pointing

In some cases, getting professional help from within or outside the organisation may be necessary. Outsiders tend to handle crisis situations more soberly as they less emotionally attached to the situation. In addition working as a team tends to produce results much master, rather than trying to crack issues alone and risk a meltdown like Peter above.

All this time, you should be ready to handle any negative consequences that may arise. Taking full responsibility where it is due is therefore critical. On the other hand, backstabbing and finger pointing have no place in crisis management.  Rather take charge of the situation while trying to win back the trust that may have been lost due to the crisis. All along communication must be kept at an optimal level.

And should you emerge victorious after the crisis, take note to appreciate every individual who participated in the recovery process. Lastly be sure to seize the moment, grab the lessons and grow to an all new level.

—The writer is a human resource specialist with Peoplelink Consultants Ltd. [email protected]