Build your capability

Be ready for anything with a simple, effective and agile crisis and issues management capability.

Build

Organisations face challenges and problems every day. Most can be dealt with as part of business as usual. Some require a special way of working.

This ‘special way of working’ should make difficult situations easier. It should not be a straitjacket, a block on creativity, a model that does not reflect how your organisation works or an off-the-shelf manual imposing unfamiliar terminology.

We can help build and maintain a flexible capability that works for you.

The key aspects of this are:

Design

Design the way of working

Train

Train your key people to implement it

Rehearse

Rehearse it to check it works

We also offer a service to take much of this off your hands:

Outsource

Outsource oversight of the crisis management capability

A note on terminology

We prefer to use the term ‘crisis’ for acute situations of high risk, scrutiny and pressure, where a process outside of business as usual is invoked; we prefer ‘issues’ for longer term challenges that require careful and strategic management, but happen within the context of BAU.

However, there is a real mix of terminology out there! Some organisations do not to use the word crisis at all, preferring just ‘issues management’ or ‘special situations’. It (sort of) doesn’t matter what you call it, provided you have a way – or ways – of working that make difficult situations easier.

Design

Designing a crisis management capability means creating a way of working that will help you through the toughest of situations.

Because all organisations have some complexity, this way of working needs to be simple and effective. It typically involves policies, procedures and handbooks/guidance, sometimes at various levels. But this all needs to add up to something positive, not something to be scared of. We will design a way of working you will want to invoke because it will work for you when you need it most. The way to do this is to make sure it suits your organisation’s culture, structure, scale and geographical footprint.

Train

‘I’d like to thank our polices and processes for helping us through these turbulent times’.

Nobody says that. Crisis and issues management requires skilled and confident people to bring the policies and processes to life, making the right decisions and delivering the right outcomes.

Our training offering includes:

  • Training leaders
    • Media spokesperson training
    • Crisis management leadership training
  • Training teams
    • Training for Boards (oversight and decision making)
    • Crisis Management Team training
    • Functional, country management, business unit team training
  • Training key roles
    • Coordinator/facilitator training

All training can be delivered in person or remotely.

Rehearse

We devise, prepare and facilitate exercises that rehearse your crisis management capability.

Exercises are fully tailored to your organisation, using thoroughly researched scenarios which we co-create with your subject matter experts.

There are three main categories of exercise:

  • The walk through. Using a simple scenario, this is a facilitated conversation to increase awareness of processes and guidance, familiarise people with their roles and encourage engagement.
  • The desktop. A desktop exercise rehearses decision making against a more complex scenario that involves choices, trade-offs and dilemmas.
  • The simulation. This is a ‘pressure test’, simulating the scrutiny and stress of a more acute crisis. A detailed scenario unfolds, with multi-media injects and role players.

After the exercise, we prepare a report, outlining our observations of your strengths and areas for development together with recommendations for improvement.

All exercises can be delivered in person or remotely.

Outsource

Not all organisations have – or want – a unit or individual dedicated to overseeing the crisis and issues management capability.

Organisations can’t outsource accountability, but can outsource responsibility for many aspects of developing, maintaining and improving a capability.

Empowered by your leadership, we can run this capability for you, taking responsibility for some or all of the design, training and exercising. This service gives you comfort that your ability to respond to the most difficult of situations is being driven and overseen by those with the requisite skills and experience in this specialist discipline.

Our services

Build

Build a flexible crisis management and issues response capability that works, so you are ready for anything

Respond

Respond to live issues and crises, providing the advice and guidance you need

Recover

Recover from the experience, learning lessons and changing for the better

Reputation lens

Apply a reputation lens to your business strategy and decision making

What clients say

‘Andrew is our go-to person when we face the most difficult issues and crisis that threaten our reputation. His wide experience, calm and pragmatic attitude and common sense has always helped us finding the right solution. He is also great in training senior level teams in issues and crisis management – highly recommended investment for a well-prepared organization.’
Issues management lead, global food and nutrition company
‘Andrew was instrumental in getting us organised and aligning on the real priorities. He chaired our task force meetings and helped manage time and resources. Leveraging his wealth of experience and expertise working with issues management teams was invaluable. Andrew saw the things from different angles which supported me in my role as leader in a perfect way and enabled us early in the crisis to look ahead, anticipate what could come next and be prepared.’
Covid 19 Task Force Leader, global pharmaceutical company
‘Andrew Griffin was the expert I called when issues appeared on the corporate horizon. He's the steady, experienced and highly ethical thought partner I wanted -- to help me see the issues from all sides, take the right steps to resolve them, and be prepared if they turned into a crises.’
Former CCO and veteran of four global Fortune 100 companies
‘I’ve worked with Andrew for over a decade on various issues and crises. He is thorough in his assessment of short, mid, and long term issues that you need to be mindful of while in the midst of the day to day management of the issue or crisis you are dealing with. His expertise and trusted approach brings a sense of confidence in the trusted adviser that I believe him to be.’
Group Director of Corporate Affairs, telecoms company
‘Whether you are a large multinational or a growing entrepreneurial operation, Andrew brings the deep expertise that can help you navigate these uncertain and everchanging times and build your roadmap for long term sustainable success.’
Crisis management coordinator, gaming company
‘Andrew brings a wealth of invaluable experience alongside an unrivalled track record as a counsellor, trusted partner and coach to organisations who want to build, protect and enhance their most important assets: trust and reputation. He brings unique specialist insight which is invaluable in any situation - from preparing for a new market entry to responding to a global pandemic.’
Former sustainability and reputation lead, global bank
'Andrew is excellent at working with an organisation to develop group-level crisis management capabilities. He is able to work with teams at all levels of the business and manages to bridge the complexities of structures and differing functional requirements.'
Communications Director at an aerospace and defence company
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