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Crisis prevention isn't just about avoiding disasters—it's about building organizational resilience through systematic preparation. You're being tested on your understanding of how organizations identify vulnerabilities, establish monitoring systems, and create response frameworks before problems escalate. The key concepts here include risk assessment methodologies, stakeholder theory, communication protocols, and organizational preparedness.
Think of crisis prevention as a layered defense system. Each technique addresses a different phase of the crisis lifecycle: anticipation, detection, preparation, and response capability. Don't just memorize what each technique involves—understand which phase it addresses and how techniques work together to create comprehensive protection. FRQs often ask you to design a prevention strategy or evaluate why an organization's approach failed.
These techniques focus on identifying threats before they materialize. The underlying principle is that crises rarely emerge without warning—organizations that systematically scan their environment can spot vulnerabilities and early indicators.
Compare: Risk Assessment vs. Early Warning Systems—both detect potential crises, but risk assessment is proactive (identifying what could happen) while early warning is reactive (detecting what is happening). If an FRQ asks about preventing a specific crisis, discuss risk assessment; if it asks about responding quickly, emphasize early warning.
Once threats are identified, organizations need structured approaches to prepare responses. Effective preparation means having plans ready before you need them—the worst time to figure out your response is during the crisis itself.
Compare: Crisis Management Plans vs. Business Continuity Plans—crisis management addresses how you respond to the event, while business continuity addresses how you keep operating despite it. Strong FRQ responses distinguish between managing the crisis itself and maintaining organizational function.
Prevention requires more than documents—it demands people who are trained, organized, and ready to act. Human capital is the most critical crisis resource; plans are only as effective as the teams executing them.
Compare: Crisis Team Formation vs. Employee Training—the crisis team provides specialized leadership during events, while employee training creates organizational depth so the entire workforce can support response efforts. Both are necessary; neither alone is sufficient.
Crises are fundamentally communication challenges. How information flows—internally and externally—often determines whether a situation escalates or resolves.
Compare: Stakeholder Communication vs. Media Relations—stakeholder communication is targeted and relationship-based, while media relations is broadcast-oriented and reputation-focused. Effective crisis prevention requires both: maintaining trust with known stakeholders while managing broader public perception.
| Concept | Best Examples |
|---|---|
| Threat Detection | Risk Assessment, Early Warning Systems |
| Strategic Documentation | Crisis Management Plans, Business Continuity Plans |
| Human Capacity | Crisis Team Formation, Employee Training |
| Forward Planning | Scenario Planning, Regular Drills |
| External Relations | Media Relations, Stakeholder Communication |
| Operational Resilience | Business Continuity Planning, Regular Simulations |
| Information Management | Stakeholder Communication, Media Relations |
Which two techniques focus primarily on detecting potential crises before they occur, and how do their approaches differ?
If an organization has excellent crisis management plans but poor drill practices, what specific vulnerabilities would this create? Which prevention technique addresses this gap?
Compare and contrast business continuity planning with crisis management plan development. In what scenario would you prioritize one over the other?
A company faces a product safety crisis. Which three techniques would be most critical in the first 24 hours, and why?
FRQ-style prompt: An organization experienced a data breach but failed to contain reputational damage despite having a crisis management plan. Identify two prevention techniques that were likely underdeveloped and explain how strengthening each would have improved the outcome.