1st Edition
Strategic Corporate Crisis Management Building an Unconquerable Organization
Presenting an alternative to traditional models of centralized crisis management, this book makes the case for decentralizing crisis response and building resilience where it matters most, and provides an accessible, pragmatic approach for doing so.
Focusing squarely on crisis management, the book challenges the notion that corporate crisis teams can be expected to swoop in and “save the day”: the role of the crisis team should be to advance a culture of readiness across an organization, and to foster leadership and crisis competency where it’s needed, when it’s needed. Crisis management expert Brendan Monahan draws from current management and leadership thinking that challenges hierarchies, finds incredible potential in the power of an organization’s people, and aligns with many of today’s highest-performing organizations that have already adopted this approach. This may run counter to current crisis management texts prescribing highly disciplined planning and command structures, but following this book’s alternative approach will unlock tremendous potential, deepen resilience, and improve outcomes in crisis response.
Professionals in crisis management, business continuity, emergency management, risk management, and others with crisis management accountability will value this practical book for “corporate crisis first responders” to use when they encounter the extraordinary.
1. Preface - Unconquerable / Introduction – Into Action Part I 2 - Old Ideas Become New Again: What’s the Plan vs What’s the Story? 3 - The Problem, The Challenge and A Solution Part II 4 - Crisis Management for Complex Organizations: A Practical Approach 5 - Rapid and Responsible Escalation Part III 6 - The Only Three Questions You Need to Ask – "Who’s In Charge" – Crisis Leadership 7 - "What Needs to be Done?" - Defining Priorities & Action Management 8 - "Who’s Doing What?" – The Mapmakers: Crisis Teams and Responders 9 - Conclusion: Becoming Unconquerable
Biography
Brendan Monahan is a security intelligence and crisis professional with nearly 20 years of experience leading organizations through crisis and incident response.
"Crises are progressively becoming more complex, frequent, and severe. As a result, your crisis preparedness and response capabilities must adapt to the new landscape when there is only one chance to "get it right." Brendan Monahan provides Crisis Management 2.0 insights that go beyond traditional preparedness and response approaches. Strategic Corporate Crisis Management: Building the Unconquerable Organization is a well written and visionary guide for handing crises of the future." Bruce T. Blythe, Chairman R3 Continuum (Ready, Respond, Recover)
"As a corporate security senior leader with close to 40 years of federal law enforcement, state government, and private sector security experience, I am excited to see this book from Brendan. From his time as an intelligence analyst, crisis management and business continuity professional, Brendan has developed unique insights on the emerging and complex global risk environment facing businesses today. This book will serve as a great introduction to the next generation of crisis management and business continuity leaders. It will also serve as a clear reminder to my peer/legacy security professionals on the variety, complexity, and impact from these new threats and challenges. As Brendan’s book highlights, we should see such incidents/crisis as an opportunity for growth and betterment." Edward Dickson, Vice President, Global Security, Global Pharmaceutical Corporation
"This book serves as a cautionary message to public and private sector managers and leaders that crisis will continue to confront them, increasing in number and unfamiliarity. While public sector organizations such as fire and police departments have come to rely on the usefulness of an incident command type system and command post for managing an unfolding crisis or critical incident, it would serve them well to heed the principles and recommendations of this author. Monahan brings to the fore the criticality of public and private sector organizations being adaptive to ever changing circumstance and situations, developing competencies among organizational personnel and planning and preparations that should continue to evolve. It is beyond difficult if not impossible to plan and prepare for the type and nature of every crisis, however, the author provides thoughtful insight into how leaders and crisis team members can better serve their organizations with the goal of successful outcomes." Russell Fischer, Retired Chief, Miami-Dade Police Department, Miami, Florida
