When a crisis occurs within an organisation, having a documented crisis management plan is only one part of the overall solution. It is vital for organisations to have clear structure for decision-making, defined roles and responsibilities, clear and concise communication pathways and people who understand their roles before an incident unfolds.
No matter the size or industry, all organisations always carry risks of many different incidents at any given time. Whether it be responding to a cyber attack, supply chain disruption, workplace incident, natural disaster or major reputational issue, organisations that have structures in place can quickly coordinate information, communicate appropriately and make effective decisions. These organisations are typically better positioned to manage impacts and support recovery.
An effective Crisis Management Team (CMT) plays an important role in this process by providing strategic leadership, oversight of the crisis and coordination throughout the incident.
What Is a Crisis Management Team?
A Crisis Management Team (CMT) is a group of designated people that are responsible for coordinating strategic organisational decisions and actions during a significant disruptive event.
When an event has the potential to impact the whole organisation such as the people, the operations, customers, stakeholders and broader objectives, the dedicated Crisis Management Team provide leadership and instruction during the crisis.
It is important to highlight that a Crisis Management Team is not the same as an operational emergency or incident response team.
The difference is that operational responders generally manage the immediate incident itself, while the Crisis Management Team focuses on the wider organisational consequences, strategic priorities and long-term impacts.
There is no set structure and composition of a CMT, it will vary greatly depending on the size, complexity and risk profile of each different organisation.
What Does a Crisis Management Team Do?
A Crisis Management Team has the responsibility of overseeing the organisation’s crisis response and ensuring that critical decisions are being made in a coordinated, appropriate and timely manner.
Key responsibilities of the CMT commonly can include:
Assessing actual and potential organisational impacts
Establishing strategic priorities
Making time-critical decisions
Allocating resources in regards to specific needs
Protecting people, assets and organisational objectives
Coordinating internal and external communications with a wide range of people
Monitoring emerging risks and consequences
Supporting business continuity and recovery activities
Maintaining situational awareness throughout the crisis
The role of the CMT is to understand the broader picture, guiding the organisation through periods of events and incidents. They see the operational as a whole, rather than managing each operational detail.
Crisis Management Team vs Emergency Response Team
One of the most common misconceptions within crisis management is that an Emergency Response Team is the same as a Crisis Management Team. While they are similar in nature, there is a clear distinction between the two at an operational level.
An Emergency Response Team (ERT) typically focuses on the immediate incident, working to focus on the protection of life, securing property and stabilising the event. The actions of the ERT are often more clinical and need to be incredibly time-sensitive.
For example, part of the Emergency Response activities may include:
Evacuation of a facility in danger
Providing first aid
Managing site access
Coordinating emergency services
Containing immediate hazards
A Crisis Management Team operates at a different level.
Unlike the Emergency Response Team who manage front-line response activities, the CMT focuses on broader organisational consequences and strategic decision-making.
While the Emergency Response Team are managing a facility evacuation, the Crisis Management Team may be focusing on:
How critical operations will continue
The impacts on customers, stakeholders and staff
Media and public communications
Regulatory obligations
Resource requirements
Potential financial and reputational consequences
Although both the ERT and CMT play different roles within an organisation’s overall response framework, they work collaboratively to ensure they cover all aspects of crisis management within an operation.
Who Should Be on a Crisis Management Team?
How a Crisis Management Team is structured will depend on each organisation and their specific needs.
The team should reflect the size of the organisation, the complexity of the operation and any potential crisis scenarios. Rather than focusing on specific job titles, organisations should ensure that essential functional responsibilities are adequately represented.
Common Crisis Management Team functions generally include:
Crisis Team Leader or Chair
Leads the team, decides priorities, facilitates strategic discussions and supports decision making at an organisational level.
Crisis Coordinator
Coordinates meetings, tracks actions, manages flow of information and supports overall team processes.
Operations Representative
Provides information regarding operational impacts, response activities and ongoing operational requirements.
People and HR Representative
Focuses on workforce impacts, employee well-being, staffing challenges and aspects related to personnel.
Communications Representative
Coordinates internal communications, external messaging, engagement with stakeholders and media responses.
Legal and Compliance Representative
Provides advice in regards to legal obligations, regulatory considerations and compliance requirements.
Technology and IT Representative
Supports assessment of impacts relating to information technology, cybersecurity, systems and digital infrastructure.
Business Continuity or Resilience Representative
Provides advice regarding critical business activities, continuity strategies and recovery priorities.
These functions are examples, rather than a mandatory organisational structure. Dependent on a number of factors, many organisations will assign multiple responsibilities to a smaller number of individuals with particularly smaller teams.
Key Responsibilities During a Crisis
The responsibilities of a Crisis Management Team will often evolve as a crisis continues to develop.
Initial Activation
During the initial activation, the team will focus on understanding the situation and establishing an effective response structure.
Key priorities of the initial activation typically include:
Confirming the nature of the incident
Assessing potential impacts
Activating relevant plans and procedures
Establishing situational awareness
Identifying key stakeholders
Determining escalation requirements
During the Crisis
As the situation develops, the team will shift towards strategic management and ongoing oversight of the crisis.
Responsibilities in this stage can commonly include:
Reviewing response priorities
Making strategic decisions
Allocating resources
Coordinating communications
Monitoring operational impacts
Managing stakeholder expectations
Assessing emerging risks and consequences
Transition to Recovery
As any immediate impacts begin to stabilise, the focus will move towards recovery and organisational resilience.
Key activities of transitioning to recovery may include:
Establishing recovery priorities
Supporting business continuity activities
Coordinating handovers to recovery teams
Managing ongoing communications
Identifying lessons and improvement opportunities
How Should Crisis Management Decisions Be Made?
The most effective crisis management response will depend on timely, informed and accountable decision-making.
Organisations should have a plan finalised in regards to decision-making authority before a crisis has occurred. This ensures that team members are aware of who has the power to approve actions, allocate resources and make essential decisions.
During an incident, some decisions may need to be made with missing information. This requires Crisis Management Teams to be able to balance urgency with risk, while still relying on the most accurate, potentially changing information that is available at the time.
Effective decision-making practices often include:
Defined authority levels
Clear escalation thresholds
Documented decisions and actions
Reliable information sources
Consideration of short-term and long-term impacts
Regular review of changing circumstances
If there is a structured decision-making process in place, it can have a huge influence on helping to maintain consistency and accountability when under pressure.
What Information Does a Crisis Management Team Need?
The access to quality and clear information is essential during a crisis.
Without reliable information regarding the situation, the decision-makers can quickly become overwhelmed by the uncertainty of the situation or can become distracted by irrelevant detail.
Information commonly needed by a Crisis Management Team may include:
Current situation reports
Details of affected people and locations
Operational status updates
Critical service impacts
Resource availability
Stakeholder considerations
Regulatory or legal issues
Potential future developments
Outstanding decisions and actions
The aim is not to gather every single detail, but rather to offer information that helps to facilitate effective decision-making within the organisation.
Common Crisis Management Team Weaknesses
Many organisations may have crisis management plans documented, but some common weaknesses within the plan may reduce the effectiveness of a response.
Some of these weaknesses can include:
Unclear decision-making authority
Overlapping roles and responsibilities
Lack of trained alternates
Outdated contact information
Information overload
Delayed escalation
Poor action tracking and documentation
Limited exercising and rehearsal
Plans that have not been tested
Addressing these issues prior to a crisis occurring can significantly improve organisational readiness and improve response capability.
Why Crisis Management Exercises Matter
Reading a crisis management plan differs significantly from actively performing a role during a crisis.
Exercising a plan can provide an opportunity for team members to practise decision-making, test escalation processes, validate communication arrangements and identify potential gaps before a real event occurs.
Well-designed exercises can test:
Team decision-making
Escalation pathways
Situational reporting processes
Stakeholder communications
Coordination between teams
Role clarity and responsibilities
Regular practicing of the Crisis Management plan will also help build confidence and familiarity, allowing team members to perform more effectively when responding to a real-world event.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people should be on a crisis management team?
Each structure of the team will vary greatly dependent on each organisation – there is no fixed number. The size of a Crisis Management Team depends on the organisation’s structure, complexity and risk profile. The main focus should be on ensuring key functions and decision-making responsibilities are represented.
Who should lead a crisis management team?
The team is often led by a senior executive or designated crisis team leader with significant authority to make strategic decisions and coordinate organisational resources.
What is the difference between Crisis Management and Emergency Management Teams?
Emergency Management Teams focus on immediate operational response activities, such as protecting people and managing hazards. Crisis Management Teams focus on strategic decision-making, organisational impacts and broader stakeholder considerations.
When should a crisis management team be activated?
A Crisis Management Team should generally be activated when an incident has occurred and has the potential to significantly impact the people, operations, reputation, regulatory obligations or organisational objectives.
How often should a crisis management team exercise?
Most organisations will benefit from exercising their Crisis Management Team on a regular basis. The most appropriate frequency will depend on the organisational risks, regulatory requirements and operational complexity. Exercising their team should occur often enough to maintain capability and confidence.
Building an Effective Crisis Management Capability
An effective Crisis Management Team is built through detailed planning, governance, appropriate training and continuous ongoing improvement.
Organisations should ensure that crisis roles are clearly defined, decision-making authority is understood, plans remain current and teams regularly participate in exercises to validate their capability.
At Resilient Services, we help organisations strengthen their crisis management capability through crisis management planning, team development, exercising, training and resilience consulting services. Whether you are wanting to establish a new Crisis Management Team or review an existing framework, our team at Resilient Services can help you build practical and effective crisis management arrangements tailored to your unique organisation.