The Crisis Manager：Facing Disasters, Conflicts, and Failures

Responding to the era of crises in which we now live, The Crisis Manager offers wise counsel for anticipating and responding to crises as well as taking the steps required to reduce the impact of these events. Spotlighting the reality of crisis at levels ranging from local to global, author Otto Lerbinger helps readers understand the approaches and ways of thinking required for successful crisis management in today’s world. As no organization or individual is immune from crisis, he guides managers to make good decisions under conditions of high uncertainty, and to consider the interests not only of stockholders but also of a wide variety of stakeholders.

With a focus on the threat of crises to an organization’s most valuable asset – its reputation – The Crisis Manager covers:


Preparation for crisis, including crisis communication planning


Physical crises – natural, biological, and technological


"Human climate" crises, stemming from targeted attacks on an organization’s policies, actions, or physical holdings


Crises due to management failure, including mismanagement, skewed values, deception, and misconduct


New to this second edition are the use of social media in crisis management, and chapters on image restoration strategies and crises stemming from mismanagement, as well as a comprehensive updating of the entire work. Real-world case studies provide examples of what worked and what did not work, and the reasons why.

Written for present and future crisis managers in all types of businesses and organizations, this resource will be required reading for students in public relations, business, and management, as it prepares them for their crucial roles as decision makers.

Otto Lerbinger is Professor Emeritus at Boston University, specializing in corporate public affairs and applying the social sciences to management and communication. He holds a PhD in Economics and Social Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Part I: Preparing For an Era of Crises

1. An Era of Crises

2. Risk Management: Preparing For the Worst

3. Crisis Communication -- The Basics

4. Image Restoration Strategies in Crisis Communication

Part II: Crises of the Physical Environment

5. Natural Crises

6. Biological Crises

7. Technological Crises

8. Confrontation Crises

9. Crises of Malevolence

Part III: Crises of Management Failure

10. Crises of Mismanagement

11. Crises of Skewed Management Values

12. Crises of Deception

13. Crises of Management Misconduct

Part IV: Conclusions

14. Learning from Crises