IABC Survey: Only 67 Percent of Companies Prepared for the Next Crisis

Despite a year of natural disasters and organizational crises, only two in three companies are prepared to manage and respond to the next crisis that affects them, according to a recent survey conducted by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). The survey also reports strong support for crisis communication plans: An overwhelming 99 percent of respondents who had crisis plans found them to be effective in dealing with crises in 2005. Additionally, if a crisis occurred tomorrow, 80 percent of respondents said implementing a crisis communication plan would help limit the overall negative impact on business.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) February 23, 2006 –- Despite a year of natural disasters and organizational crises, only two in three companies are prepared to manage and respond to the next crisis that affects them, according to a recent survey conducted by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). The survey also reports strong support for crisis communication plans: An overwhelming 99 percent of respondents who had crisis plans found them to be effective in dealing with crises in 2005. Additionally, if a crisis occurred tomorrow, 80 percent of respondents said implementing a crisis communication plan would help limit the overall negative impact on business.

According to the IABC survey of over 600 communicators, one in three companies did not have a formal crisis communication plan in 2005. After experiencing a crisis with no plans in place, 46 percent of respondents said their organizations were beginning to develop crisis communication plans, while 42 percent said their organizations were still taking no action. Of the communicators who work in organizations without crisis communication plans, 54 percent said they didn’t have plans because of lack of senior management support.

The crisis communication survey was conducted by Robert Holland, ABC, owner of Holland Communication Solutions LLC, and Katrina Gill, president and founder of Gill Research LLC, in collaboration with the IABC Research Foundation.

According to Holland, “Communicators who seek a more strategic role in their organizations often find it difficult to link their work with critical business functions. Organizational crises—not just natural disasters, but also events such as leadership transitions and sudden market changes—provide opportunities for communicators to demonstrate their value with skills in planning as well as tactical execution.”

The survey reported that 69 percent of the organizations that had crisis communication plans, implemented these plans in response to crisis events in 2005. Almost all respondents who had crisis communication plans found them to be effective (66 percent cited plans as “very effective” and 33 percent as “somewhat effective”) in responding to crisis situations.

“These results add further evidence of two trends: Communicators today are approaching their work with more business discipline, and internal communication is increasingly viewed as an important business function,” said Gill.

Additional details on the survey findings will be published in the March–April issue of Communication World magazine.

About IABC

The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a global network of communication professionals committed to improving organizational effectiveness through strategic communication. Established in 1970, IABC serves more than 13,500 members in 67 countries, 100 chapters and 10,000 organizations. For more information, visit www.iabc.com.

About Communication World magazine

Published bimonthly by IABC, Communication World (CW) magazine covers the latest in communication research, global perspectives, technology, best practices and trends through in-depth reports and insightful interviews. With a focus on communication management, the magazine offers communication professionals access to case studies of current best practices, commentary from globally recognized industry experts and valuable information on how to link communication to an organization’s bottom line. For more information, visit http://www.iabc.com/cw.

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