Unit 3 Outline

Regis Egbon

Columbia Southern University

Introduction

Organizations must prepare for new crises that may develop with the deepening interconnectedness of our global society (Gainey, 2010). The test for new leadership may be the degree to which managers can step forward to identify and plan for new and emerging crises that may not have been considered in the previous century (Gainey, 2010). Crisis events facing the corporate sector have the capability to: affect and disrupt the entire organization;  negatively affect the organization’s publics, products, and services; Jeopardize the organization’s reputation, future profitability, and even its survival; dramatically redefine an organization, affecting its business and culture; violate the vision of what the organization is set up to accomplish; inflict long-term damage on the organization and its relationships with its stakeholders (Gainey, 2010). Our organization has been threatened with the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has limited our operational capabilities due to the state department official’s guidelines with restricted movement, social distancing, and prohibiting public gatherings. With the uprising spread of the virus, I want to equip our leaders with all the tools necessary to communicate effectively with your employees and continue to move our organization forward, despite potential setbacks we will experience. A tool that is highly essential to our organizational success is communication, so we have to be creative in how we deliver our message to our employees in response of this uprising pandemic. Leaders have to remain calm, professional, maintain stability and avoid making emotional decisions or gestures. Our workforce depends on us and they trust us to guide them through this crisis. The end state of our efforts in effective communication of this pandemic will result in a retained, healthy workforce that has an enhanced trust in the leadership of this organization.

I.                   Crisis Communication Plan

A.          Purpose

1.                  Concerns of the health and safety of our employees

2.                  Limiting or eliminating exposure opportunities

3.                  Establish communication procedures

4.                  Teleworking guidelines

B.           Targeted Audience

1.                  Essential workers

2.                  Non-essential workers

3.                  Executives

4.                  Shareholders

5.                  Stakeholders

C.           Capabilities effected

1.                  Leave and pay will be affected

2.                  Earnings will be affected

3.                  Interpersonal communication

4.                  Personal meetings with stakeholders/shareholders

5.                  Business travel

6.                  Professional development

7.                  Training

D.          COVID-19 Concept of Operations

1.                  Roll over leave into the next year. Leave to be expended by 2023

2.                  Pay will continue for essential and non-essential workers

3.                  100% telework for non-essential workers

4.                  No more than 10 essential workers in office at one time

5.                  Essential workers work 4 hours in office and 8 hours via telework

6.                  Meetings with team members conducted through Zoom app and Webex

7.                  Virtual meetings and monthly presentations

8.                  Business travel halted until 15 May 2020

9.                  Professional development will continue. Courses and seminars provided

10.              Telework resources will be provided

11.              Utilize the Crew App and build a group chat for organizational leaders

12.              Virtual training conducted on essential refresher courses. Some courses cancelled until further notice.

13.              Direct the media to executive leaders

Conclusion

Our communication should be our number one priority. If we don’t communicate effectively, our mission will be degraded. It’s up to us leaders to provide transparency and articulate communication to our workforce and stakeholders. The need to protect organizational reputations, respond to stakeholder activism and advances in communication technologies, take a broader view of crises that have a ripple effect, and concerns about charges of negligence if companies fail to plan are driving many organizations to make crisis preparations (Gainey, 2010). An updated crisis plan can be the best source of defense for managers when it’s being seen as an effective management tool rather than a shelf ornament (Barton, 1991).

References

Barton, L. (1991). When managers find themselves on the defensive. Business Forum. Pg 8-13. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=960502496 4&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Gainey, B. (2010). Crisis leadership for the new reality ahead. Journal of Executive Education, 9(1), pg 33–43. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://libraryresources.columbia southern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=65790601& site=ehost-live&scope=site

Crisis Communications Plan

Develop a crisis communications plan for your stakeholders, including a social media policy. The plan should expand on points identified in the attached outline. Walk through how you believe organizational leaders and their spokespeople should decide and act during a crisis. Your plan should include at least the following items (not necessarily in this order):

• an introduction and description of your crisis communications plan,
• purpose,
• scope,
• situations and assumptions,
• audience profiles,
• review of leadership hierarchy and approval processes,
• key communication strategies,
• delegation of responsibilities,
• evaluation of communication efforts, and
• guidelines addressing social media.

Research sources to support your ideas. Your plan should be a minimum of four-pages in APA format. You must include a minimum of two sources. Again, the plan should be built off the points within the attached outline.