Emergency and crisis management: emergency vs. crisis

In the case of events that disrupt or even prevent time-critical business processes, rapid management is of great importance. Only in the further course is it determined whether this is an emergency or a crisis. The differences lie mainly in the specific approaches to crisis management and emergency management themselves. Because of the similarities between crises and emergencies, it may make sense for some companies to establish a joint emergency and crisis management system.

Emergency management

Emergencies, unlike crises, can be planned for. It can be expected that a particular emergency will occur sooner or later. For example, almost every company will experience a high level of sick leave or the failure of an IT system. To prepare for this, emergency management is used. This involves pre-planning for emergencies and how to respond to them. The emergency management response then coordinates the pre-planned emergency measures.

Crisis management

The situation is different in crisis management. Here, situations are prepared that cannot be planned and require strategic changes. In a crisis, the task is therefore to quickly develop effective measures. Crisis management, with its structures, competencies and methods, is used to implement this task in a targeted manner.

Synergies from emergency and crisis management

Although crises and emergencies are fundamentally different, there are also similarities. For example, both are managed with a team of responsible persons and subject matter experts. The decision-making process is also generally similar: After the situation has been established, options for action are identified and selected. Execution is monitored and feeds into the next situation assessment. Because of the similarities, some companies opt for a joint emergency and crisis team.