Brian K. Lee (brian.k.lee@gartner.com) is a Managing Vice President and Dian Zhang (dian.zhang@gartner.com) is a Research Specialist at Gartner in Arlington, Virginia, USA.
Corporate crises are on the rise. More worrisome, however, than the growing volume of crises is the increasing percentage that involves emerging risks. Almost two-thirds of legal executives report providing more frequent guidance in unfamiliar risk areas, which can lead to a lack of preparedness. What’s worse, social media can accelerate the breadth and impact of even minor issues, pressing organizations to react before they have a chance to think everything through.
So how can legal and compliance executives better manage crises in the age of social media? Leading companies use social media themselves to proactively identify issues on the horizon, collaborate with other functions to create a clear and actionable response plan, and test these plans using real-life scenarios.
Monitor social media to identify potential issues
Work with your marketing and communications teams to monitor social media trends and posts mentioning your organization. Are you being talked about more frequently? In what way? Are mentions confined to one platform, or are they spreading to others? What issues come up in your competitors’ social media feeds?
Then, zero in on a list of potential crises that could manifest given your organization’s specific risks. For example, if harassment is a top concern, develop a scenario around a workplace harassment crisis to test your company’s readiness for both legal and reputational concerns.
Create an actionable plan with assurance partners
Gaps and redundancies in response plans are common barriers to effective crisis management. Involve other functions when creating your specific plan, and agree upon defined roles and responsibilities to handle incidents more quickly and effectively.
Focus on tasks that are similar across all situations (e.g., stakeholder communications), and assign them based on who would have the greatest effect and resources to take on the task and can act quickly.
Run simulation exercises with real-life scenarios
Simulations help uncover flaws in crisis response plan design and pinpoint improvement opportunities. Invite relevant stakeholders to discuss a real-life crisis scenario sourced from social media, and work through each step of the response plan. Use a facilitator to walk attendees through different outcomes and scribes to document actions taken at the session.
Don’t forget to hold a debriefing session to outline lessons learned, document suggestions for response plan improvements, and assign ownership for follow-up and next steps.