A Lesson From The Penn State Scandal – Be Prepared

Many in the media have labeled the sex abuse scandal at Penn State a “public relations disaster.”  In one sense, because of its impact on Penn State’s reputation, this human tragedy can be viewed through the prism of public relations.  But PR cannot fix the reputations ruined by moral failure or deviant behavior.

However, there is a lesson for marketing pros in this tragedy.  That is―be prepared for a PR crisis before it occurs.  Penn State leadership could have handled the situation much better if its crisis management plan had been properly prepared and used–especially since it appears these leaders had advance warning of the pending charges.

For instance, the crisis management team could have informed the university’s constituents―from the faculty, to students, to parents―earlier on its website, rather than most of these groups hearing about the allegations and actions in the media.  It could have found a better way to fire a demigod like Joe Paterno than with a phone call; and it could have crafted a less insensitive and apparently shoot-from-the-hip statement from the university’s president.

Therein lies the lesson.  Make sure those you advise have a crisis management program in place.  Penn State may not have foreseen such a reputation crisis, but it undoubtedly could have been better prepared when the crisis occurred.

I suggest clients start with “issues management,” which means anticipating and identifying issues and attempting to resolve them before they reach crisis levels.  By managing your response, issues can be kept from erupting into crises and, if a crisis does ensue, its adverse effects can be minimized.  An “issue” is defined as a matter in dispute.  For example, a patient doesn’t like a particular hospital’s treatment and is threatening a law suit.  These activities, either directly or indirectly, can generate media attention.  And media attention can turn an issue into a crisis.

To deal with issues management, the organization must first establish a permanent issues management team, which could consist of key staff members and/or outside advisors, such as an attorney.  The team would be tasked to work out details of an issues management plan, which should include:

 ·    An early warning system―a method for monitoring issues before they become crises.

 ·    A list of the constituencies affected by the issues.

 ·    Ready reference documents―media lists, etc. ―and an issues management manual or Intranet site.

 ·    Who on the team will do what?  Who is the spokesperson?  Who will prepare and approve statements, releases, online information?  Who will field constituent phone calls and press inquiries?

 ·    A message platform that can be customized based on the issue.

 ·    What constitutes an issue or crisis that requires assembling the team other than for regular meetings?

Such a systematic approach to crisis management allows the organization to respond quickly to urgent situations, to mitigate risk, to calm key audiences, and to build credibility.

Hopefully, your company or client will never have to face a crisis like the one at Penn State.  But you can bet you’ll face a crisis of some sort if you’re in the reputation management business.  So, as the Boy Scout motto says, “Be Prepared.”

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