Organization (Re)Alignment and 360 Degree Messaging.

Executive Summary: Tools to tackle the "softer" aspects of organizational (re)alignment- backed by analytics, like the Identity Circle, in a previous post- need to be prioritized when organizational initiatives are planned. Purely as a current example, snippets from the global discussion on Toyota's response to its car performance crisis provide you the starting point to think about, and build, the tools to weigh your options more effectively.


The Crisis
Toyota is facing a massive car performance crisis. It has needed various parts of its ecosystem, which includes car dealers, sales, marketing, PR, operations, finance and suppliers, to move in a concerted manner across various channels to tackle it. The crisis has the potential to impact the industry as a whole. Yes, that's where the term 360 degree messaging comes in. It implies both external and external messaging.


The Conversation
Below is a snippet from the global discussion about Toyota's crisis that shed light on the response to the crisis:
1. Accelerating towards crisis: a PR view of Toyota's recall
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/feb/09/pr-view-toyota-reputation-management

As you would have noted, this article talks about crises that companies like Mattel and Cadburys have tackled previously. Toyota's crisis happens to be a current example in a continuum. The conclusion? A brand/ PR crisis is not an "unthinkable". It may be a Black Swan, but it needs to be explicitly considered.

Organizational (Re)Alignment?
How does the organization and/ or its ecosystem tie into a crisis response? Lets look at some questions that help us evaluate this.

* Are crisis response issues worth minimizing in advance? Do they deserve upfront planning and resources?
* Are crises response issues black swans?
* Is response to a crisis purely an external messaging issue? Is it a leadership issue? Is it an across-the-board organization/ ecosystem issue?
* Would tools that effectively (re)align organizations have helped Toyota or other organizations in crisis?
* Would the results of implementing such tools have helped response?
* Which tools are more effective at providing leadership, or the overall organization, levers to deploy an effective response?
* What tools are available?
* What are the pros and cons of each?
* How effective are each of these tools?



What do you think?



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