crisis management

As early as 1997, Christian Lindner, now Germany's Minister of Finance, knew that crises and problems are "also just thorny opportunities. What at the time seemed more like a rhetorical, flowery battle cry from a brash young entrepreneur is, in essence, still a resilient, psychological fact today. Shocking strokes of fate or other drastic experiences often literally pull the rug out from under people - and change their perspective on their own lives. However, this forced change of perspective can also be a real opportunity for change for the better, if one has learned to deal with crises and to recognize and seize the opportunities hidden in them.

The current corona crisis shows that companies can be unprepared for events that threaten even successful and healthy companies in their existence from one day to the next. In addition to a pandemic, there are other risks for companies which can also threaten the continued existence of a company. The best way to protect a company from the consequences of damaging and crisis events is to prepare for them. One method for this is Business Continuity Management. “Business Continuity Management (BCM)” describes the active planning, control and safeguarding of the long-term existence and success of a company through the realisation of organisational resilience against events that damage the business. The article describes a BCM model that was developed and implemented in practice as part of a corporate project.

The SARS-CoV-2-crisis has brought many companies into existential distress. The sudden loss of suppliers and customers as well as short-term changes in regulations and relevant information sources pose challenges for companies. The linking and visualization of information from the corporate environment with internal capabilities remain an unsolved problem. This article shows how a situation picture can help companies to act in a goal-oriented manner.