Page 204 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

Organizational Barriers 185
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help management appreciate that what people believe affects business
far more than what is in a white paper or fact sheet.

Combating the corporate siege mentality

‘Hey, we’re the good guys – right?’
Most companies have lots of good people doing good things. They
make great products, employ people, pay taxes and involve them-
selves with the local community. So during a crisis when someone
says, ‘You’re wrong, you’re the bad guys’, a company’s reaction is per-
sonal, and management either want to lash out or head to the bunker.
When a crisis occurs, the public looks for answers to hard questions
and for someone to blame. It’s a tough and emotional time for execu-
tives. The usual response is restrained anger and an orderly retreat
back into the corporate castle, or the ‘war room’, where companies
fall into a ‘them against us’ siege mentality. Executives surround
themselves with consultants who tell them they’re right and they can
beat back this crisis.
This situation usually yields that negative, ‘We’ve got to beat them
to win’ attitude that generates negative action and communication.
Legal action, union strikes and public battles fought in the press all
create an environment that is impossible to back away from and leave
residual stakeholder resentment for a company and its products.
The other challenge of a siege mentality is that it doesn’t recognize
alternatives or moderate views, or sometimes, even notions of compro-
mise. A siege mentality breeds a ‘win or lose’ approach, not listening
and accommodation. Yet during a crisis is exactly the time companies
need to be listening hard, considering all options and points of view.
This may be the time for some kind of compromise or rethinking of an
entrenched business practice. A crisis can offer a chance to look at
‘What about this?’ options or, ‘They might have a point of view worth
considering.’ It’s a more creative option than retreating behind a cor-
porate wall. Once again it’s the PR professionals’ sometimes unpop-
ular task to present management with alternative points of view, to
suggest new ideas, or to seek a compromise in a difficult ‘win or lose’
corporate environment.