Exam 12: Ethical Crisis Leadership

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Myth 1: Crises are inevitable. Some but not all crises are inevitable. But even if some crises (storms and earthquakes) can't be prevented, leaders have an ethical responsibility to do everything they can to prepare for them.
Myth 2: We lack the basic knowledge to prevent or understand crises. Researchers don't know everything about crisis management. However, they have identified a number of steps leaders can take to prevent crises and to manage them when they occur. When leaders fail to act, the problem is not a lack of knowledge but a lack of will.
Myth 3: Better technology will prevent future crises. Resolving crises calls for more than technical solutions. For example, leaders must also communicate effectively, demonstrate flexibility, and think creatively.
Myth 4: Crisis management is inherently detrimental to progress. Risk can never be totally eliminated. Yet some crisis-prone organizations and leaders shouldn't be allowed to engage in dangerous activities without some oversight. Following the financial crisis that began in 2008, for instance, many observers argued that greater restrictions should be placed on the financial industry to prevent future recessions.
Myth 5: Emotions have no place in crisis management. Emotions have a key role to play in crisis management, as they do in other kinds of ethical decision-making (see Chapter 5). Leaders need to see ethics as a conversation, connecting with stakeholders before, during, and after the crisis. They also need to acknowledge the pain and suffering generated by the crisis, which may have been caused by their decisions and actions.