Today’s business world requires a well thought out plan and process to deal with unexpected crisis. Critical factors that come into play with the background of crisis management are the reputation and brand of the company and the trust and loyalty of stakeholders. The other option of course is to be prepared with proper procedures and protocols in place so that positive action can be taken in response to some of the crises.

There are many different approaches to crisis management depending on the business and size of the business. However, whichever approach is chosen should have a team of selected management and or professionals that are trained in the following:

- the analysis and assessment of threats

- the development and implementation of alternative responses

 - the orderly communication of information and decisions to those involved

 - coordinating the return to normal operations once the threat or crisis has concluded (Lockwood, 2005).

Training on the above will help business focus on skills rather than on emotions that are involved when reacting to situations that demand spontaneous decisions made under stress or duress.

Through effective crisis management planning organizations can better prepare for unpredictable events that may cause irreparable damages. When planning for crisis management some commonly asked questions from company directors and management are:

 - What is Crisis Management?

 - What can hurt our organization? How probable is it?

 - What is a Crisis Management program comprised of?

 - Why should we have crisis response programs?

 - What will having crisis response programs do for our organization?

 - What should we do to address the issue? (Lockwood, 2005)

What kind of an impact does Human Resources have in assisting in crisis management? Regardless of the size of the organization, HR leaders today play a strategic role in ensuring organizations are aware of crises and a plan of action is developed to help minimize the effects of the disruptions. HR leaders must work in concert with company directors and more than ever is communication vital so that a consistent message is shared by all within the organizations.

Probably one of the most important factors of why crisis or conflict is an importance of study is due to the need of conflict for growth. This reminds me of going through hardship and being told “we grow from our experiences” or “the hard times make you a stronger person.” However conflict tends to be feared and avoided by management mostly due to the unknown. Or simply because they don’t know how to deal with it, however when conflict is not dealt with it is as bad as an illness that is never cured. Eventually your body collapses.

Resolving conflict has to deal with one’s willingness to do so and one’s assertiveness in accomplishing it. This is probably the most difficult about conflict or crisis due to people fearing change. According to Susan Pilgrim, Ph.D. who specializes in engaging the spirit of individuals, teams, and organizations there are five styles when dealing with conflict, they are:

 - Avoiding

 - Accommodating

 - Competing

 - Compromising

 - Collaborating

When employees avoid they detach themselves from the issue and make it difficult for others to know what they want. Employees who are accommodating keep quite because they rather not speak up to keep a peaceful environment even if it means at their cost. When employees are competing to be do things their way or to be “right” this means their primary interest is resolving conflict their own way. The employee’s who compete often take advantage of those who are accommodating. Employees who compromise are willing to give and take to see that the conflict gets resolve. And finally those who collaborate are interested in seeing that everyone’s needs are met through the resolution.

According to Susan Pilgrim, Ph.D the reason there are different approaches to dealing with conflict is that we mainly have the need to “pick our battles.” When people recognize how they deal with conflict the effectiveness of the manager increases. As well as dealing with conflict opens communication channels, cooperation between coworkers, and overall increases the productivity and efficiency of your employees. . .