A Risk Register for Crisis Prevention

What is a Risk Register?

Effectively managing organizational risk means understanding that the crucial question is not if a crisis will occur, but whether we are ready when a crisis does occur. The best form of crisis prevention is proactive in order to preempt emerging threats. The good news is that through a combination of foresight, horizon scanning, and effective research, it is possible to flag many of the crises that an organization is at risk of experiencing, so that proper preparatory steps can be put into place. As a strategic communications firm, our Risk Register, created specifically for this purpose, is an essential tool for crisis prevention in today’s landscape.

A Risk Register assesses and maps out themes and issues that represent levels of risk that an organization or company faces. It is a detailed but succinct report created in a way that permits easy operationalization for daily use. The risks flagged are based on organizational identity, history, industry positioning, evolution of current events, and foresight analysis. The report can include risks related to:

• Narrative
• Language use
• Positioning
• Stakeholder perspectives
• Emerging social, political, technological, and economic changes

Each issue flagged is ranked to identify the level of risk, and communication supports are included to help the organization mitigate that risk accordingly. A Risk Register assesses vulnerabilities from a communications, narrative, and language perspective, which is distinct from a legal risk perspective. This means that it sheds light on reputational and positioning dynamics that may not emerge in legal risk assessments that can be more categorical and sometimes lack the same level of nuance.

This case study provides examples of a Risk Register developed for a legacy brand with a strong presence in West and Central Africa, and a growing market share in Europe and the United States. Through this example, we illustrate how a Risk Register supports daily communications strategies, as well as long-term crisis prevention, applicable for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

Why is a Risk Register a necessary tool in today’s landscape?

In this case, our client was considering tactics to increase its presence and reputation in existing and emerging markets. The company approached Wakeman for guidance, recognizing that some information uncovered through internal historical research could prove compromising if not addressed with candor and transparency. The executive leadership sought out preventative crisis support, and in collaboration with our team, we determined that a Risk Register could address these issues and uncover others that might emerge.

What kind of risks are flagged in a Risk Register?

Our client had direct historical connections with colonial activity through its founding story, but was communicating about that history in ways that obscured that reality. It was also using language in its discussion of more contemporary elements of the brand, which risked drawing accusations of cultural appropriation and a lack of appropriate recognition of the agency of African participants in the unique and creative artistic process that the company is known for. The brand had previously established a strong narrative about the company’s identity, but the evolution of today’s conversations and media discussions—related to collaborative artistic creation, power relations across formerly colonized/colonizer economies, etc.—led to the conclusion that new communications approaches were needed to maintain loyalty of current audiences, and encourage trust among prospective clients. As this example demonstrates, these types of issues often raise questions for internal audiences such as staff, board members, and brand ambassadors, but also for external audiences such as clients, partnering organizations or brands, and prospective customers.

What are the deliverables of a Risk Register?

A Risk Register report includes:

• A list of each individual risk identified through our discovery process.
• Analysis, explanation, and framing for each vulnerability, in the context of possible impact or connections to current or evolving media narratives and the positioning of the organization or company.
• Messaging recommendations for each area of risk, to ensure the client is prepared to tactically address the issue at hand, in relation to specific priority audiences.

Once the Risk Register is delivered, our team can help support the roll-out of the recommendations and communications tools, in coordination with the client, or provide strategic advisory for the operationalization of the accompanying messaging materials. This means that the client is well-prepared for communications crisis management.

How did the Risk Register help our client?

The immediate value of the Risk Register for this client was evident by the way in which it was operationalized into the company’s daily communications practices. For example:  

• Boilerplate language was updated based on the recommendations to communicate more transparently about the identity of the company, effectively framing the brand’s nuanced relationship to its complex history.
• The brand narrative incorporated new language that had emerged from the research at the core of the Risk Register, facilitating the ability of all parties to speak authentically and with respect about the range of participants that contribute to the brand’s creative process.
• Internal audiences, such as staff and brand ambassadors working with the company now had access to messaging materials, which we developed from the Risk Register’s findings, to address a range of sensitive questions that could lead to potential crisis situations without consistent language used across the organization.
• Staff discomfort was reduced through the provision of go-to materials that facilitated their ability to speak to the values that the brand represents, even while addressing a wide range of complex and sensitive issues.

What type of organization can benefit from a Risk Register, and what industries are most likely to gain value from the development of a Risk Register? 

Risk Registers can be useful for nonprofit organizations, foundations, and hybrid organizations working across the for-profit and nonprofit spaces, for a full range of issue areas, including education equity, racial justice, reproductive and gender justice, equitable climate solutions, and many more. This approach increases the capacity for crisis prevention as a crisis communications strategy.

If you believe your organization could potentially benefit from a Risk Register, or you are in need of help identifying prospective risks, schedule a confidential, exploratory consultation to learn more.