Crisis Management: Planning for the Inevitable
"Every major executive in America ought to read at least one book on crisis management. In this way, he or she might be better prepared to deal with the disasters striking organizations at an ever-increasing rate ... The question is: 'Is Steven Fink's book one that busy executives ought to read?' The answer is a resounding yes."
--Los Angeles Times,
Front Page Sunday Book Review
Since the initial publication of this seminal work, other books have been written on the subject but none can match Crisis Management: Planning for the Inevitable for its basic, easy-to-follow, pragmatic advice for people at all levels of management. Its thoughtful and comprehensive approach to crisis management has never been equaled, which is why this vital business tool -- endorsed by the American Management Association -- has been called the gold standard in its field. It remains to this day the most widely read book ever published on the subject, and is used in some of the nation's leading business schools.
Not only does this book tell executives how to manage an acute crisis if one occurs, but it presents for the first time anywhere step-by-step strategies for forecasting the likelihood of whether a crisis will erupt, and what steps to take to resolve it before it is too late.
Of equal importance, the chapter on Decision-Making Under Crisis-Induced Stress teaches readers how to make and execute "defensible" decisions during times of intense crisis-induced stress that will withstand withering scrutiny by all challengers: media, regulators, stakeholders, and opposing counsel when the inevitable litigation begins.
More high praise for Crisis Management:
"No book has ever been so relevant or so useful -- all books by Fink should be considered the Bible for businesses, not only when they are IN crisis, but also as a means to keep potential crises at bay."
"Fink's Crisis Management text is still the best available."
"This book helped my team win the leadership crisis challenge at Ross School of Business (University of Michigan). I'm convinced that we wouldn't have performed as well without reading this book. Thanks!"
"This is a book that every professional working in crisis management or emergency planning should read and keep in their personal library."
"Fink's 'yellow book' is still one of the most comprehensive and well-built guides for crisis related subjects."
"This one goes on my library shelf to keep!"
"I encourage anyone who's in busisness, management, or in some decision making role in an organization, to get a copy for themselves, and pass it on to your colleagues."
"As the subtitle suggests, crises are inevitable, so why not 'be prepared?'"
"What sets this book apart from almost all others which discuss the same general subject is the fact that Fink's observations, insights, and recommendations are (if anything) more relevant...than ever before."
"With meticulous care, (Fink) defines various terms (thus providing a nomenclature for crisis management which most readers probably did not have before) while establishing a context within which to illustrate and apply those terms. Of greater value, I think, is the matrix of different perspectives which Fink provides. This strategy reminds me of the way Henry James develops his major characters in various novels. That is, look at a given situation from every possible angle. This Fink does brilliantly as he explains how to measure the nature and extent of a given crisis, decide who must do what immediately, how to manage information..., and how to make the most effective decisions under what are inevitably severe pressures ranging from shock and fear to grief and anger within compressed timeframes."
Amazon.com reviews