Strategies and Values

If I am feeling stressed at work because I am having some type of crisis and want to go home to relax, would it be all right if I decided to run every red light between my office and home? After all, doing that would enable me to get home that much faster. Any one answering "no" to that question does so because they know driving through red lights is dangerous and against the law. Driving laws are one of the values of our society. Enforcing that law is a strategy designed to keep people safe and ensure a smoother running society. In dealing with my crisis of wanting to get home more quickly, one of the sources to which I turn to help me make a reasonable decision on how best to handle my own situation is society's law or values. In this scenario, society's values serve as a guide

In this example, values influence strategies. In fact, they drive them. The same should be true for organizations facing unexpected situations that threaten their reputations or demand immediate responses. In making decisions on what crisis communication plans to devise and, ultimately, implement, there is no better source of information or guidance than an organization's own values and overriding strategic goals. These values and goals are reflected in their strategic communication plans. Ideally, they should serve as a guiding light that helps organizational members determine how best to handle a crisis.

Research on this topic indicates that currently organizations rarely draw from their strategic communication plans when dealing or handling a crisis or carrying out their crisis communication plans. This is unfortunate. A strong strategic communication plan can be an important resource for crisis planners. Connecting the two helps provide the implementers with direction and better enables them to support the goals, mission and values of the organization to which they belong. While strategies may not always specifically mention values, values can and should be part of the strategic communication mix.