In Organisational agility is a term that we have all encountered in our career. But what is the relationship between information technology (IT), organisational agility and crisis management?
The answers are not far to seek. Information, unfortunately, is not just overflowing but also going viral, thanks to the power of the IT. Information is a double-edged sword that while empowering has also exposed organisations to a plethora of external debilitating forces. Internally, business information underpins the critical decisions that an organisation takes. The speed and accuracy at which this critical data is made accessible to the concerned senior management in a crisis situation is crucial to crisis management. In fact, the smoothness and agility of the knowledge processes, that is to say, the IT infrastructure, of an organisation, provide the nimbleness or agility that is critical to succeeding in a competitive knowledge-based business environment.
Recently, for three-four consecutive days we faced a complete systems breakdown. All servers were down, networks were inaccessible and work came to a standstill. The end of the month is also the closing time for most magazines. This would mean delayed printing, ad loss, late issues, subscribers wrath A nightmare situation for any media house which functions on knowledge and network! It could have translated into a huge crisis with considerable financial loss.
But this was not to be, thanks to our IT team. It immediately swung into action. Critical processes were restored, limited network access was provided to on rotational basis, immediate mail was dispatched via intra mail requesting all employees to refrain from using internet for heavy uploads and downloads, unless urgent. Some members were provided mobile data cards on need-based basis. All the while, the work on the system went on round-the-clock. No one felt inconvenienced. All the work went on schedule. The best part was that all concerned employees were armed with correct and timely information with the IT department sending out frequent updates. Any external crisis could thus be countered effectively with accurate information.
The agility of the response of the IT team ensured that the company remained unaffected and nimble. The crisis was well-managed.
Crisis management in todays information age is totally dependent on the IT infrastructure and the IT team of the company. While information technology provides efficiency to a company by not just processing but also managing knowledge, it also automates processes, reduces departmental silos and creates a seamless organisational setup for free flow of critical and timely information. As IT managers/CIOs work to integrate complex organisational layers through system integration, CEOs and CFOs can have real-time access to information and respond to a crisis situation armed with critical insight.
IT is the new PR (public relations) arsenal for crisis management.
Sangita Thakur Varma, Managing Editor, India Now
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