Crisis & Issues Management in Government
In addition to a comprehensive skills development service in Crisis & Issues Management, Reputation Australia specialises in developing communication plans and resources for government organisations at the federal, state/territory and local levels to get them ready to face difficult challenges.
This might involve creating an issues management strategy that first analyses an organisation’s issues landscape. We then put systems in place to manage these issues proactively over time.
For public sector organisations concerned about their risk profile and potential crises that might strike, we develop a crisis communication plan. The plan takes account of the organisation’s potential risks and provides procedures and resources to respond to a crisis quickly and effectively.
These communication plans can be tested in a simulation, either as part of a broader organisation-wide drill or specifically to test the communication response on its own.
Reputation Australia also delivers comprehensive crisis & issues management consultancy, training and services such as logistics, business continuity, simulations and more.
In this day and age, government organisations are more exposed to the scrutiny of various stakeholders in the political sphere, via social media and conventional media and increasingly capable and sophisticated special interest groups. Crisis & Issues Management is crucial.
When a particularly difficult issue flares up, or even worse, a crisis, the ability of management teams to respond quickly and effectively becomes a key factor in success or failure.
In a world obsessed with brands and image, it is dangerous to forget about corporate reputation. Each organisation is surrounded by stakeholders who have some area of interest in its activities; an individual researching government services, a doctor navigating their way through regulatory changes or a community examining plans for a new factory in the neighbourhood – stakeholders will be more influenced by the way a company conducts itself than by any glossy advertisement. This is particularly true in times of crisis.
There is no escaping the fact that in the 21st Century, the public will demand to know what is happening in a crisis and how management is coping. Departments and government organisations can either try to deny this and suffer the consequences or responsibly manage the situation.
Handling an issue or crisis can be management’s biggest challenge. It can represent significant risk to a department’s reputation, impact upon daily operations, traumatise staff, adversely affect service customers, and damage short and long-term performance.
Likewise, many issues test the capability of management on a day-to-day basis; staff morale problems, information leaks, legal challenges, deteriorating public confidence, rumour and speculation in the media are among the more vexing challenges facing management today.
To find out more about how Reputation Australia can add value to your government organisation, contact us to arrange for a free initial consultation.
