crisis management: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal/Business/Technical
Quick answer
What does “crisis management” mean?
The process by which an organization deals with a disruptive and unexpected event that threatens to harm the organization or its stakeholders.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The process by which an organization deals with a disruptive and unexpected event that threatens to harm the organization or its stakeholders.
The strategies, systems, and procedures implemented to handle a severe, high-pressure situation, aiming to minimize damage and return to normal operations. Can also refer metaphorically to handling personal or political emergencies.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or semantic differences. The concept is identical in both varieties.
Connotations
Often carries a slightly negative connotation of 'firefighting' or reactive problem-solving, as opposed to strategic planning, in both BrE and AmE business contexts.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties, given its roots in corporate and political discourse.
Grammar
How to Use “crisis management” in a Sentence
[Organization] has/practises excellent crisis management.[Person] is responsible for crisis management.The situation required deft crisis management.to be good/bad at crisis managementVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “crisis management” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The board had to crisis-manage the media storm.
- He's spent the day crisis-managing the IT outage.
American English
- The team will crisis-manage the situation from headquarters.
- She's adept at crisis-managing client complaints.
adverb
British English
- The team reacted crisis-management style, with rapid daily briefings.
- He works very crisis-management, always dealing with the latest emergency.
American English
- They operated in a crisis-management mode for a week.
- The response was handled crisis-management quick.
adjective
British English
- They followed the crisis-management playbook.
- A crisis-management expert was brought in.
American English
- The crisis-management plan was activated immediately.
- She holds a crisis-management certification.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
The PR team's swift crisis management contained the fallout from the product recall.
Academic
The study analyses crisis management models in public sector institutions.
Everyday
With three kids all sick at once, my week has been an exercise in crisis management.
Technical
The system's fail-safe protocols are a key component of its automated crisis management.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “crisis management”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “crisis management”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “crisis management”
- Using 'crisis' as a plural when modifying 'management' (e.g., 'crises management' is incorrect). Confusing 'crisis management' (reactive) with 'risk management' (proactive).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a two-word compound noun, typically not hyphenated except when used as a modifier before another noun (e.g., crisis-management team).
Risk management is proactive, identifying and mitigating potential problems before they occur. Crisis management is reactive, dealing with a severe negative event that has already happened.
Yes, informally. It's often used humorously or metaphorically to describe handling multiple personal emergencies at once (e.g., 'Managing work and three sick kids is pure crisis management.').
A specialist, often a consultant, brought in to lead the response to a major incident, particularly focusing on communications and strategic decision-making under extreme pressure.
The process by which an organization deals with a disruptive and unexpected event that threatens to harm the organization or its stakeholders.
Crisis management is usually formal/business/technical in register.
Crisis management: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkraɪsɪs ˌmænɪdʒmənt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkraɪsɪs ˌmænɪdʒmənt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Putting out fires”
- “On the back foot”
- “Damage limitation exercise”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a CRISIS as a CRITICAL SITUATION that needs immediate MANAGEMENT.
Conceptual Metaphor
A FIRE THAT MUST BE PUT OUT (e.g., 'firefighting'), A DISEASE THAT MUST BE CONTAINED (e.g., 'contain the crisis'), A BATTLE TO BE FOUGHT (e.g., 'crisis response team').
Practice
Quiz
Which phrase best describes the typical connotation of 'crisis management' in business criticism?