Category Archives: Crisis Management
Colleges and Universities Are Ill-Prepared for Crises
When my colleagues and I first started doing surveys of the crisis preparedness of major colleges and universities, we were shocked but not totally surprised to find that as poorly prepared large business organizations generally are for major crises, colleges and universities were even worse off. It is not that they are completely unprepared. Rather, the difference is between the crises that they are relatively well prepared for versus those that they barely prepared for, if at all. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Crisis Management
Tagged child abuse, colleges, crisis management, Penn State University, universities
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Too Close for Comfort: Agonizing Similarities Between Penn State and the Catholic Church
The scandal that has emerged from Penn State in the past few weeks is a grotesque example of child abuse. What is even more disturbing are the agonizing similarities between this scandal and those that have come out of the Catholic Church. Penn State is not only judged in terms of all the things it did wrong in handling its repeated episodes of child abuse, but it is the direct inheritor of everything the Church did wrong. In short, Penn State has been made worse because of prior cases of abuse. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Crisis Management, Media + Politics
Tagged Catholic Chruch, Penn State, Penn State Scandal, Penn State University
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The Age of Super Crises
The notion of healing or repairing the world is more vital than ever. Indeed, with the advent of super crises, it has taken a whole new meaning. Crises have the potential to destroy entire industries, bring down governments, and adversely affect large regions of the globe. Not only are they bigger, costlier, and deadlier, but they come at us faster and faster. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Business, Crisis Management
Tagged BP, crisis, disaster, gulf, Hungary, toxic spill
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Commonwealth Club Lecture on C-SPAN
On February 24, 2010, I gave a talk on my latest book, Dirty Rotten Strategies, at the Commonwealth Club of California. In my talk, I examine how many institutions either solve the wrong problems unintentionally, or worse, intentionally tackle the right problems in the wrong way. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Business, Crisis Management, Media + Politics
Tagged Commonwealth Club, Dirty Rotten Strategies, problem solving
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Managing Toyota’s Recall Crisis
Will giant print ads, television appearances and apologies made by Toyota’s CEO help the car maker regain customer confidence? Canada’s Business News Network interviewed me about Toyota’s recall crisis on the February 3, 2010, episode of a business show called SqueezePlay. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Business, Crisis Management
Tagged auto maker, crisis, toyota recall
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Interviews, Reviews, and More of “Dirty Rotten Strategies”
I’m thrilled that my recent book co-authored with Abraham Silvers, Dirty Rotten Strategies: How We Trick Ourselves and Others into Solving the Wrong Problems Precisely, has received positive attention and feedback, including an AirAmerica interview. Continue reading
Climategate’s Lesson For Science
The “climategate” brouhaha that was ignited in November reveals that scientists aren’t always adept at helping the public understand the scientific process. While scientists pursue the great questions of the day, they fail to solve the related problem of informing the world of how their investigations work. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Crisis Management, Media + Politics
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Dirty Rotten Strategies: How We Trick Ourselves and Others into Solving the Wrong Problems Precisely
People and organizations are perfectly capable of making the most outrageous missteps. But, how does a person, organization, or society know that it is committing an error? My latest book, co-authored with Abraham Silvers, delves into how organizations and interest groups lure us into solving the “wrong problems” with intricate, but inaccurate, solutions. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Business, Crisis Management, Media + Politics
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Managing the Mess
An odd aspect about the financial mess is how little discussion has been given to managing it, and the economic crisis with it, as messes. In all the finger-pointing, one party has escaped with less attention than deserved – business schools. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Business, Crisis Management, Philosophy + Systems
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How Not to Handle a Crisis: What Every Candidate Needs to Learn About Crisis Management
I’m very worried that by his not really understanding what crisis management is, Barack Obama’s candidacy may have suffered a fatal blow. I’m especially worried because I think he’s the right person for these dreadful times. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Crisis Management, Media + Politics
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