The Crisis Management process does not begin at the moment when a corporation is adversely affected by misfortune or adverse situation. The essential first step of Crisis Management is Issue Identification, the process whereby emerging issues that could threaten corporations are identified and prioritized.
Analysis of these same issues then leads to recommendations on options open to the company, including unique opportunities that may support strategic corporate objectives.
Issue Management organizes internal corporate capabilities to better monitor and respond to issue developments; crisis management builds action teams capable of instantaneous, effective action during crisis situations. The onset of a crisis requires a cool and organized response at a time when there may be a tendency to react in haste. Ideally, a company will have anticipated and prepared for the most likely crises that it could encounter, and plans already will have been put in place to handle them. A crisis management team is assembled, comprising internal staff and external resources who can bring in both special expertise and an objective third-party view.