Communications as Ikor

위기에 취약한 기업 유형 (Caponigro의 분류)  < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

작년 이맘때쯤인가 베스트 셀러(신간)중의 하나였던 Caponigro의 Crisis Counselor라는 책을 읽었었습니다. 그는 현재 미시건에서 그의 이름을 붙인 Caponigro Public Relations라는 에이젼시를 운영하고 있고, 잘나가는 위기관리 전문가중의 하나입니다. 그는 이책에서 좀더 과학적인 플로우와 각 스텝별 프로세스를 나름데로 자세히 설명했습니다. 제가 본 위기관리 서적 중에서는 아무래도 fresh(?) 해서인지 정감이 가는 책입니다.

 

오늘은 그의 책 중에서 위기에 취약한 기업들의 유형 분류를 소개할까 합니다.

가만히 제가 보니, “이거 뭐 해당 안되는 기업이 없군..”하는 생각이 듭니다.

 

개인적으로 저는 현재 공공기관들 및 몇몇 사기업들의 위기관리 매뉴얼들을 구해 분석 하고있습니다. 지금까지의 결과는 말그대로 “참담하기 그지없는” 결과 입니다. 밝힐수는 없지만 여러분들이 아시면 깜짝놀랄 만한 얘기도 있습니다. 그만큼 “관심”이 없다는 얘기이지요. 그리고 제가 만나는 몇몇 홍보 실무자 분들도 “위기관리”에 대한 절대적인 필요성을 느끼고 계심을 봅니다. 그러나 어떻게 시작을 해야하고, 얼마나 걸리는지, 또 얼마의 금액이 필요한지 몰라 그냥 끙끙대고 계시는 것을 종종 봅니다.

 

참고로, 위기관리 매뉴얼의 제작을 위시로 하는 위기관리 시스템의 구축은 업체의 크기와 사업의 형태 범위등에 차이가 있지만 그 기간을 길게 잡으면 1년 이상이 걸릴수도 있습니다. (가끔씩 3개월 또는 1개월 정도에 완결할수 있다는 설이 있는데, 잘 분석해 보시면 비현실적이라는 걸 아시게 됩니다.-하기는 홍보매뉴얼이라고 불리는 단행본(?)들도 한두달에 종결하는 사례도 있습니다만)

시스템의 시작은 기업의 사업 구조 분석 및 위기 요소 측정으로 시작됩니다. 수많은 서베이 , 인터뷰, 요인 분석작업을 거치겠지요.

가격은 컨설팅 업체에 의뢰하여 상의 하시면 됩니다. 일단 기업의 크기에 비례한다고 보시면 됩니다. (큰집에 잔 일이 많듯이 똑같이 생각하시면 됩니다.)

 

인하우스에 계시는 분들은 한번쯤 새로운 밀레니엄을 맡기위한 PR기획의 하나로 자신 기업의 위기관리 시스템의 구축을 마련하시는게 어떨까요.(2001년 1월 1일이 새 밀레니엄의 첫날이지요.. 아마?)

 

한번 아랫글을 읽어 보시고 과연 우리기업은 어디에 속해있나 보시죠..

그럼 홍보..!!   

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What type of organizations are most vulnerable to a crisis?

 

All businesses eventually experience some form of crisis. Those which seem to be most vulnerable, however, include businesses with one or more of the following characteristics:

 

 Businesses that have recently experienced a crisis.

 

Businesses should learn from crises. It would make sense that those which recently experienced a crisis should be the most prepared to avoid a future one. Lightning never strikes twice in the same place, right? Some feel, using that logic, the airline that just suffered a plane crash is the safest to fly. However, the odds are that ­ if your business has suffered a crisis recently ­ it is more likely than one that hasn’t to suffer another one soon. Two reasons for this include: the previous crisis showed the company is vulnerable to a crisis; and, the business is often preoccupied fixing the previous crisis and may not notice the warning signs of another on its heels.

 

 Those in highly regulated industries.

 

It makes sense that the more rules your business must follow, with serious consequences for violators, the more vulnerable you are to a crisis. The crisis could be in the form of a product recall, environmental fines, labor-related penalties, stressful government probes and other costly investigations. These can significantly damage the reputation of your business which, even beyond the cash outlay for fines and penalties, can take years and even decades to overcome.

 

 Businesses with financial difficulties.

 

Your business is more likely to suffer a crisis when it is suffering financial troubles. When this occurs, a business is more likely to overlook a warning signal because it is preoccupied with other, more immediate matters. Financial troubles can also deplete the amount of goodwill earned by a business with some of its key publics. This occurs most frequently with suppliers who are not being paid on time, and, in some smaller companies, with employees who are faced with pay reductions or delays in cashing their checks. Without the strong support of your key publics, a business is significantly more likely to suffer a crisis.

 

 High-profile companies with well-known CEOs.

 

Some businesses have owners or CEOs who are heralded as “superstars,” “brilliant” and “geniuses.” They have received substantial amounts of media coverage and have helped make their companies and themselves newsworthy through their success and leadership. The positives from this almost always outweigh any potential negatives. However, a negative by-product of the increased profile is that a crisis experienced by the company and CEO become more newsworthy.

 

 Publicly held companies.

 

Businesses that are publicly owned are more vulnerable to crises for several reasons. They are highly regulated (i.e., Securities and Exchange Commission), have a greater number of publics to please (i.e., shareholders, investors, analysts), and are covered by media that focus primarily on publicly held businesses (e.g., The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Forbes). They need to disclose all “material” events occurring in the business and can’t easily solve a problem over time with little fanfare, as can a privately held business.

 

 Fast-growing companies.

 

Businesses experiencing rapid growth are vulnerable to crises because they have hired employees who may not be adequately trained or experienced. They may be entering previously uncharted markets by the company. And, keeping up with the day-to-day work has left the business with little time to consider its vulnerabilities, heed its warning signs and work to prevent crises from occurring.

 

 Those with market share among the top three in their industries.

 

These companies are usually covered closely by industry analysts and trade media. Their actions and decisions are scrutinized and second-guessed. These businesses may feel others are waiting for any slip, flinch or mistake that can be sensationalized and used to damage the company. An otherwise manageable vulnerability in this company can easily be catapulted by competitors, analysts, media and others fanning the flames.

 

 Start-up businesses.

 

New businesses face extreme challenges during their early months and years to avoid major crises that could negatively affect their financial positions, marketing potential and future health. They are most vulnerable to crises because they haven’t yet established a broad base of goodwill and support among a broad range of publics (e.g., employees, customers, prospects, suppliers, news media). Start-up businesses often have few management staff and employees who can help prevent vulnerabilities from turning into crises. They also may not have the financial resources to purchase the equipment, technology and other systems that would help reduce their vulnerabilities.

 

 Businesses with absentee ownership.

 

These include businesses whose owner, CEO or franchisee are not on site to personally experience the challenges of the crisis and to see they are managed swiftly and effectively. These can include multi-store franchise operations, where the franchisee is not on-site and rarely visits the outlet, or branches of retail stores, banks, fitness centers or wholesalers.

 

 Businesses with high stress and unfavorable working conditions.

 

Every business nowadays has an abundance of stress as it is forced by competitive pressures and economics to achieve more results with less resources. However, some businesses are clouded by an inordinate amount of workplace stress. This often occurs through the combination of pressure to meet tight deadlines; extremely demanding management; workers/employees feeling underpaid and underappreciated; little sense of accomplishment due to the relentless workload level; and, a working environment that only adds to the stress levels. These pressures can result in disruptive and even violent behavior by disturbed employees, which has occurred at U.S. Postal Service outlets in Michigan and Texas