Unit 4 Training and Awareness
Training and Awareness
The development of the Crisis Management Plan in addition to the involvement of the management and the preparedness requires the training of the teams to ensure the ability of the organization to respond to a crisis.
Difference between Training and Awareness
•Awareness aims to inform employees, partners and stakeholders of the response measures and the timeframes set out in the plans.
•Training aims to impart knowledge and ensure the development of sufficient skills for employees with roles and responsibilities in crisis management, while gaining confidence and knowledge of what they should do.
The organization should prepare an annual training and exercising plan.
CMT Training
•Crisis Management Team training is critical to ensuring the organization’s adequate response to a crisis.
•A systemic approach to effective Crisis Management Team training should consist of seminars related to crisis management, task analysis, plan development, peer support, first aid training, evacuation planning, and many other areas.
•Also, providing simulations helps a Crisis Management Team recognize a crisis and take appropriate actions. These actions include developing decision-making options and strategies, evaluating time management under pressure and considering variations in decision- making.
Personnel Training
•All personnel, at least those related to organization’s crisis management, must have the appropriate competence, knowledge, and awareness. Their knowledge needs to be updated, enhanced, and extended on a continuous base.
•An annual training, education and awareness plan and schedule, including induction training for new employees as well, must be identified to ensure and enhance the competence & awareness of personnel and understanding of roles, responsibilities and actions required once the business continuity plans are invoked.
«I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth,
they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis.
The great point is to bring them the real facts»
– Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States
Summary and Takeaways
Training is a vital component of the overall crisis management program.
It is imperative that all team members and their partners are regularly trained on their roles and responsibilities.
Exercises provide the opportunity to test processes, technology and equipment under simulated conditions, which can reveal potential problems before they occur during actual operations or incidents.
Post-exercise reports should include lessons learned to be considered for the improvement and update of the plans.
Check your understanding
Think about each of the following questions. If you are not sure of the answer, check what you have read to find the information you need before going on to the next question.
1 What is the difference between awareness and training?
a.Awareness aims to inform employees and stakeholders about the plans and measures the company has in place for its response to a crisis whereas Training aims to provide knowledge to employees, develop their skills in crisis management and gain confidence of what they should do.
b.Awareness aims to inform employees on how to act during a crisis and how to communicate whereas Training aims to inform employees, partners and stakeholders about the plans and measures the company has in place.
2 What an annual training plan should include?
a.CMT training seminars and/or simulations
b.Personnel education and awareness plan and schedule, including induction training for new employees as well
c.Both above
3 Which could be the performance standards and evaluation criteria for reaching the training objectives?
a.Consider that any new plans and recovery solutions must be tested before been considered as active
b.For every test and exercise make a post-exercise report including the exercise/test results and communicate it to all team members.
c.Items in need of improvement and changes as result of the exercises and tests should be immediately addressed and implemented, under the responsibility of the relevant plan owner.
d.Both b & c above
Check your understanding (answers)
1 What is the difference between awareness and training?
a.Awareness aims to inform employees and stakeholders about the plans and measures the company has in place for its response to a crisis whereas Training aims to provide knowledge to employees, develop their skills in crisis management and gain confidence of what they should do.
b.Awareness aims to inform employees on how to act during a crisis and how to communicate whereas Training aims to inform employees, partners and stakeholders about the plans and measures the company has in place.
2 What an annual training plan should include?
a.CMT training seminars and/or simulations
b.Personnel education and awareness plan and schedule, including induction training for new employees as well
c.Both above
3 Which could be the performance standards and evaluation criteria for reaching the training objectives?
a.Consider that any new plans and recovery solutions must be tested before been considered as active
b.For every test and exercise make a post-exercise report including the exercise/test results and communicate it to all team members.
c.Items in need of improvement and changes as result of the exercises and tests should be immediately addressed and implemented, under the responsibility of the relevant plan owner.
d.Both b & c above
«Challenging times reveal character and can alter the course of our lives. »
– Henry Kissinger, Former United States Secretary of State