Communication School of Melita Pavlek: Team Communication – The Most Important Part of Crisis Management

The era of crisis can never be predicted, but we must prepare for it. We can prepare a protocol plan, a team, communication. However, what will ultimately be most important are human potentials. Managing human potentials will determine whether we emerge from such an episode as losers or winners.

Therefore, in the situation we find ourselves in, every organization needs a leader. A leader who will, by example, reason, expertise, and stability, know how to manage the team and all the challenges ahead. His role in leading a crisis team is not just understanding the bigger picture but PROACTIVE action. Especially when human lives are at stake, there is no time for reactive measures. The leader must be one step, if not two, ahead of his colleagues. In this proactive approach, the crisis team leader anticipates and operationally leads.

However, what no one publicly says is that a crisis is an opportunity to test the loyalty and strengths of your team. Do not be afraid of this because in every organization we have people who may not be creative but are excellent in times of crisis. Or those who love routine but completely lose themselves in times of crisis. Therefore, include in the crisis team those you can rely on, those who know the system, and those who have no problems with directly delegated tasks. All others can be included in a secondary extended team, but rely on a maximum of five to seven people.

Although there is a wide range of different management styles, from authoritative to friendly and democratic, a crisis fundamentally recognizes only two – AUTHORITARIAN AND DEMOCRATIC.

While AUTHORITARIAN implies that clear instructions, deadlines, and expectations are issued, DEMOCRATIC relies on people who have already gone through a similar scenario. This simply means that you will need to refine your delegation and have at least two people who will know what to do on their own, without you as a leader. A crisis does not tolerate procrastination, endless analysis, or research. In it, decisions must be made both as a team and individually that may not be the best at that moment, but are better than not making them at all.

In society, we have a crisis of RESPONSIBILITY and taking obligations, so this pandemic will be a double opportunity for leaders. On one side, it will be clear who is truly by your side, and on the other side, you will see your weaknesses in management. Both will be important information when all this is over. The test we will go through with others and ourselves will permanently change our beliefs.

The world will never be the same again. Therefore, it is good to have a team by your side that can survive this.

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