Need for corporate contingency planning

It’s new. But it’s overwhelmingly dangerous. The uncertainty of safety and security whilst at work at any level in the corporate pyramid is a heart pounding distraction by all means.

Business management is nothing but seizing ‘click decisions’ of sense and vision. To knit such chain link decisions, we need a mind that is beyond disturbance. “Every time I hear the noise of an aircraft flying closer towards my company, no matter what I do at that point of time, for some reason my family comes to my mind. I know its day time. But who knows. On a gloomy rainy day where everyone virtually is inside shelters, anything is possible. Oh!!!” Can the reality fear of this top business executive be ruled out? Or to tell him that everything - right now - is under control.

Many in business fear to express their security concerns in public. Understandable, yet they do chat about these issues in private.

Their fear expressions begin to flow out. And we expect them - our business associates - to perform; to think customer care and deliver customer solutions. But minds roam elsewhere. The “Let’s get out of here” sort of urge. Enthusiastic participation slowly is turning into scary compliance. The city is dangerous – is the perception that stays in urban minds at this moment of time. Before all else resulted in economy and business due to terrorist aerial bombing, the first casualty was protective confidence. It created a wide path for all else later.

As the saying goes “The Tiger cannot be handled - holding it by the tail”. All negativities that have happened in businesses so far after the bombing, goes back to a single element – CONFIDENCE. This is at all levels in business. The responses are obviously varied. Some businesses have slimmed down night work, airlines are on ultra critical analysis of the risk, airport manoeuvers are under micro review and city hotels battle with occupancy crash – all because of shattered cracks on protective confidence.
The military is in high demand to shoot the confidence back into businesses – both local and foreign – holding the Tiger air capacity BY THE HEAD sooner than later. Unfortunately history doesn’t favour our wishful thinking, as we have seen the growth of terrorist ground combat capacity that fought two armies in concurrence, and a terrorist sea presence that grew up from mere fishing boats to a global network of merchant ships. It is also worthy to remember that barking dogs without teeth hardly ‘catch’ the thieves.

So, what do we do this time around? Two options are placed on the table. HOPE FOR THE BEST or PLAN FOR THE WORST. Luck favours the brave - true, but certainly not in the arena of corporate business. Counting on general contingency guidelines such as power blackouts and generator freeze surely is not sufficient to cater to specific protective need of a business. All what terrorists want is a little bit of moon light and Global Positioning (Navigator) System – GPS – and we will know the rest – if we manage to escape that is. And also who said that the threat exists only at night?

Corporate Contingency Planning – CCP
In addition to the state security preparedness and guidelines, premier corporate businesses need a rapid contemplation on their existing corporate contingency management initiatives. Corporate contingencies thus far have been rehearsed, critiqued and updated sans an air threat - from terrorists or otherwise.

We must not forget the business localities that shelter more than few thousands of business associates – day and night.

If we do not foresee the upward threat curve, size up damage potentialities - for staff life and business facilities primarily – contingency panic may escalate the loss scenario by manyfold. And that exactly is what the terrorists are gunning for; maximum panic. We already have displayed it - what and how. That impact is clearly marking its hoodoo on the economy which was already limping.

Business Impact Management – BIM
Planning should take all business interactive avenues into account. Visualize the setting of an upscale wedding in full swing at a star class hotel – and sudden warning of a terrorist air attack. Life comes first. Honeymoon can wait; it’s simple as that. But in the absence of a pragmatic contingency response plan, we may slip into violent stream at once - faster. Thus, the planning elements should revolve around the six base lines of impact management.

* Pre Contingency – Design Component
* In Contingency – Response Component
* In Contingency – Rescue Component
*Post Contingency – Critique Component
* Post Contingency – Retrieve Component
*Post Contingency – Business Continuity Component
The responsibility of the initiative rests with executive authority of the company supported by board of directors, who in turn needs to reinforce field efforts of the Head of Business Security of the company.

The ever green giant of the boxing ring - Muhammad Ali once said, “I was so fast that I could get up, cross the room, turn off the light and GET BACK in bed before the light went off”. That’s the level of corporate agility our business giants should strive to achieve in the sphere of Business Impact Management at this hour of bizarre and rattle.

The author is Strategic Security Specialist / Pragmatic Trainer & CEO of Strategic Security Solutions. He can be reached at –
solutions@sltnet.lk