A new playbook for effective crisis management in higher education.

Unlike other industries, in higher education an institution's most important asset is its reputation. Yet as fundamental as it is, many leaders continue to view managing reputation as dishonest and counterproductive, a suspect process that undermines the very idea of reputation as an organic outcome of reality. When leadership credibility is on the line, though, and an institution's reputation is facing potentially irreparable damage, the concept of reputational risk moves from being nebulous to all too tangible.

In Preventing Crises at Your University, Simon Barker demonstrates how critical it is for colleges and universities to align strategy and values with decision-making during times of crisis. Arguing that leaders must stop considering the discussion of reputational risk as unseemly, he demonstrates that this discussion is in fact a strategic imperative for every leader. Significant reputational damage, Barker asserts, is not the inevitable outcome of a crisis but of a poor response. Defining a new crisis leadership playbook to deal with self-inflicted crises, he also

• explains what typically goes wrong in a crisis;
• describes how to prevent crises from escalating;
• demonstrates how a stakeholder-centric model of communications can help mitigate reputational damage; and
• introduces a number of original concepts, including a Reputational Risk Management Framework, a Reputational Risk Maturity Model, and a Culture and Capability matrix.

Moving beyond the theoretical by presenting case studies of real crises involving sexual assault, freedom of speech, student protests, faculty misconduct, and a broad range of financial, social, and ethical issues, the book highlights and underscore key concepts around effective management of reputational risk. Ultimately, Preventing Crises at Your University serves as a wake-up call for all higher education leaders and board members.

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Preface
Introduction. Mind the Gap: Why Reputational Risk Matters
Chapter 1. A Reputational Risk Framework
Chapter 2: Nine Things That Go Wrong in Crises
Chapter 3: Effective Crisis Management I: Getting Ahead of a Crisis
Chapter 4: Effective Crisis Management II: Defining Roles and Responsibilities
Chapter 5: Effective Crisis Management III: From Chaos to Managed Process
Chapter 6: Effective Crisis Management IV: Crisis Communications
Chapter 7: Redefining Issues Management
Chapter 8: The Role of Leadership in Crisis
Chapter 9: Frameworks and Models to Manage Reputational Risk
Index

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Barker lays out how colleges can anticipate and avoid negative effects on their reputation from potential adverse events and trends. He also explains how they can minimize the occurrence of crises and effectively manage through those which do occur in ways that mitigate harm to the institution's reputation. Drawing on the author's deep experience with risk, this book is full of very good insights and advice on managing crises.
—Thomas A. Gottschalk, Trustee, American University / Honorary Trustee, Earlham College
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<p>A new playbook for effective crisis management in higher education.</p>

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781421442679
Publisert
2022-01-25
Utgiver
Vendor
Johns Hopkins University Press
Vekt
204 gr
Høyde
203 mm
Bredde
127 mm
Dybde
12 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
192

Forfatter

Biographical note

Simon Barker is the managing partner of Blue Moon Consultant Group, a crisis management consultant firm that specializes in higher education.