In any company or industry, a problem will eventually arise. Any event that disrupts an organization's operations to the point where losses are highly likely to occur and its image is also affected can be referred to as a crisis. Therefore, it is essential for management or managers to implement crisis management strategies as soon as they arise so that severe consequences are avoided. (Mullich, 2013). It is important to remember that some types of crisis, like natural disasters or the passing of a CEO or other figure, cannot be avoided, which is why preparation is necessary. such that losses are not highly felt in addition to the maintenance of the life of an organization. With crisis management, which tends to be a new area of focus in managing organizations, it entails forecasting on possible crises and making plans on how they will be dealt with when they occur (Bernstein, 2017). The Chile mine disaster presents a good example of crisis well managed by its officials.
1. What was the threat or hazard to the organization?
The Chile mine disaster is an example of a crisis that brought about fervent losses to the organization and its employees. The crisis took place in August 2010 whereby an approximate number of thirty-three miners were ensnared in the company’s mine, which was about 2,200 feet deep, for sixty-nine days. Also, the distance between the entrance and the mine was five kilometers. The first stages of the rescue mission proved to be futile when the ventilation shaft went down. It was a challenging situation for the leadership of the country, President Sebastian Pinera, who had just received the seat as president, and Laurence Golborne, who was the new minister in charge of the mining sector (Cantoria, 2011). In such a situation, the leaders are expected to organize and develop a plan to ensure that the safety of the workers is the given priority in addition to finding methods of minimizing the losses (Crenshaw, 2012).
2. If any, what was the element of surprise?
Being new in the leadership seats, the event was surprising and quite tasking since it was a natural disaster. Furthermore, it acted as a way of showing the people of Chile that their government had leaders that were responsible when it came to delegating their duties and meeting the needs of the citizens (Cantoria, 2011).
3. In leadership and decision-making, what was the quick timeline of events and n decisions to be made?
The leaders had to make decisions on the adequate strategies to employ such that the workers were saved on time and that all of them came out in good health. Also, decisions had to be made on the type of communication strategies to be employed such that the people involved in the rescue mission could communicate at ease (Cantoria, 2011).
4. What were some examples of successful decision-making?
The fact that the President made the decision to handle the communication process such that the minister focused on other areas contributed to the success of the rescue mission. The communication process, in this case, entailed dealing with the press, and also holding meetings with technology specialists and other professionals that were provided as support from the global community. The minister focused on the actual responses required in the rescue mission. An added advantage in the management of the situation is that both the president and the minister had MBA degrees from the best universities in the U.S. and that they had previously worked as corporate executives (Cantoria, 2011). The significance of sharing obligations is that makes work easier ad allows focus on certain duties such that the end goal is achieved as expected (Fischer et.al, 2008). While the president was available to deal with all proposals and assuring the public that government was committed all the way until every person was rescued, the minister was busy overseeing the rescue operation where he gathered volunteers and met up with experts to analyze the type of technology to be employed in the rescue mission.
By combining efforts with experts from NASA and the oil drilling company, Precision Company, the government was able to have a successful rescue operation. NASA assisted with its knowledge in lengthy timelines and enclosed-space flights with the view that the miners were experiencing similar environments as those of astronauts when in space. For the drilling company, it had advanced systems that were aided by computers in the drilling process and hence sufficient for the rescue mission. The view is that teamwork is important when it comes to handling a crisis successfully. Also, the decision was made to carry out the assessment of the location of the workers before the drilling took place to prevent further damages. Factors such as paramedics, transport facilities, the arrangement of the miners as per their weaknesses in addition to ensuring that family members were present when the miners came up, were put into perspective (Cantoria, 2011).
5. What were some examples of unsuccessful decision-making?
A good case of an unsuccessful policymaking was the use of the ventilation shaft as a strategy of rescuing the people, without support from the experts, such that it fell and hence causing more problems. Nonetheless, both the president and the minister displayed adequate leadership skills in managing the situation such that the miners were rescued before further damage took place (Cantoria, 2011).
6. What changes resulted or should be considered?
In such a situation, it is important for the mining industry to foresee such an event such that satisfactory measures are put in place to manage the event when it occurs. The industry may also borrow the techniques used by the organizations, NASA and the Precision Company, such that it puts up such systems and handles without seeking much assistance from foreign organizations.
The coordination between the president and the minister was exemplary as the rescue mission was successful.
References
Bernstein, J. (2017). Examples of Organizations' Successful—and Unsuccessful—Crisis Management. Managementhelp.org. Retrieved from: http://managementhelp.org/crisismanagement/
Cantoria, C.S. (2011). Great Real-Life Examples of Successful Crisis Management. Bright Hub PM. Retrieved from: http://www.brighthubpm.com/risk-management/104704-great-real-life-examples-of-successful-crisis-management/
Crenshaw, D. (2012). PR Disaster Averted: 7 Cases of Good Crisis Management. Crenshawcomm.com. Retrieved from: http://crenshawcomm.com/pr-disaster-averted-7-cases-of-good-crisis-management/#.UoKt9_nktwo
Fischer, R.P., Halibozek, E., & Green, G. (2008) (8th ed.). Introduction to security. Lamontwatson.com, pp. 245-284. Retrieved from: http://lamontwatson.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Introduction-to-Security-8th-Edition.pdf
Mullich, J. (2013). Preparing for natural hazards: A better approach. Dow Jones Advertising Department. Retrieved from: http://online.wsj.com/ad/article/riskmanagement-hazards
