Crises, risk aversion and ‘cover up’
Why are so many organisations risking their reputations by not being open when problems occur?
Something worrying is occurring in modern life. The Post Office Horizon IT scandal, concerns about how Ofsted operate, and many other situations show attempts to hide problems and at the worst to cover them up. It started me thinking whether this is getting worse, is a new phenomenon or are we finding it out more because of social media. Are people able to air their problems to the world when organisations are not listening?
At a time when we can share more communication than ever before why are so many businesses and organisations putting the shutters down?
According to a bit of online searching, the phrase [‘cover up’] was first identified as being used in the 1920s although talk of hiding things had been noted for many years. It is also clear that since that time there has been a sharp increase in the number of times it is used with just a small drop in the 1980s. As I was at school in the 1980s I am not sure why that drop happened.
The challenge at the minute is that there is a significant trust deficit. Organisations, businesses and experts are less trusted than before the Covid pandemic and I fear it is driving an approach of avoiding crises by trying to deal with them within the organisation or to avoid acknowledging them. Are businesses ensuring they are listening to concerns from staff about how they operate, and are they considering perceptions from those outside?
Building trust and confidence needs openness and transparency. It needs the recognition that there is a problem and a willingness to listen to people’s views and perceptions of the organisation even if they are opinions rather than facts. When this doesn’t happen the culture develops that the business is right and people just need to be told so they understand their perceptions ‘are wrong’. I have a particular frustration with organisations that attempt the ‘nothing to see here’ approach to issues or concerns. Even if you don’t think it is important others may and it is out of touch with the perceptions and external concerns.
I am sure these things have always happened. But in 2024 being honest and open, as well as publicly dealing with problems and crises is critical. The business may survive the crisis that has emerged but it can suffer a near fatal blow from a cover up or perceptions of a cover up. My three suggestions on how to address this are:
- Be open and transparent when a problem, or perceived problem emerges.
- Accept when there are things that need to be changed or addressed.
- Keep listening to feedback with humility and a willingness to act.
In short, if you have a problem, understand it and publicly demonstrate how you are dealing with it. Don’t wait for someone to call you out.
Amanda Coleman is a crisis communication expert and consultant, founder of Amanda Coleman Communication and the author of Crisis Communication Strategies. This post was originally published on her Amandacomms blog as Another day, another crisis communication lesson. Read the original post.