Elearning! Magazine: Building Smarter Companies via Learning & Workplace Technologies.
Issue link: http://elmezine.epubxp.com/i/201066
Proper Crisis Management for Learning Professionals THE BEST CRISIS IS THE ONE THAT NEVER HAPPENS. BUT IF ONE DOES HIT HOME, BE READY TO RESPOND. BY JERRY ROCHE A working defnition of crisis is "a signifcant threat to operations that can have negative consequences if not handled properly," according to Dr. W. Timothy Coombs, writing for the Institute for Public Relations. "In crisis management, the threat is the potential damage a crisis can infict on an organization, its stakeholders, and an industry." Tat's not even taking into consideration (and it's a major consideration) what it can infict on employees. Granted, many crises have little to no direct efect on learning departments or divisions within a corporate bureaucracy. But, as Dr. Chris Hardy of the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) found out, some can have an absolutely numbing effect on day-to-day operations. On Aug. 11 of last year, the DAU's brand-new Teaching & Learning Lab (TALL) —with 30 projects running — burned to the ground (photo page 31). "It was pretty traumatic out in the parking lot watching the building burn down," remembers Dr. Hardy, director of the Global Learning and Technology Center at DAU. "We lost the lab as well as ofce space and hardware for the entire department. We lost the learning analytics ofce, all of our smartboards, and our knowledge-sharing and curricula development facilities. "Te biggest impact was that 60 people lost their laptops and recent work. People Elearning! October / November 2013 35