Whether it is being proactive about preparing for a workplace violence incident, an industrial accident, a pending labor strike, or an internal scandal within your organization, there is no better way of getting your policy manual(s) off the shelf and tested than a mock or tabletop exercise. These should be lead by a third party contingency planning specialist with experience in crisis management. They don’t necessarily have to have been through each of your anticipated scenarios but they do need to have sufficient field experience to know what curves to throw into the exercise that are based on real world events.

Ideally the mock crisis is one that is reasonable for your environment, industry, and circumstances. It should involve senior management so that it conveys the true significance of the event. All internal organizational entities must participate for the event to be useful. The objective is to see what everyone can and will do and what the realistic parameters for action are going to be. Making assumptions that some particular action would be done (as is often the case with mental walkthrough exercises) will not offer the same critical evidence of practicality. Outside emergency responder participation is always a plus but not essential, however they should at least be consulted with specific response capability questions. This might even spark their interest to participate as practice themselves. The more action oriented the exercise the more effective and accurate the feedback is going to be. If conducting a “table top” only is all that your management will buy into then, the exercise should be carried out with seriousness, full participation, and as much real time simulation as possible.

Yes, these can come with some cost and be slightly disruptive. However, what is learned regarding the practicality and functionality of your policies and contingency/emergency plans can save the organization from exponential losses by comparison. There will be no more important thing if a real crisis hits. Why would you not want to field test the plan of action you’re going to depend on to provide your guidance for crisis resolution? With the proper planning, complete communication of the exercise, and full support from all levels of the organization, you can be more confident in your contingency/emergency plans knowing that they have been professionally tested. Furthermore, you will be able to legally prove – if you ever have to – that you did everything you could to be prepared.

Check out some of our crisis management related courses at www.imac-training.com