Submitted by: Submitted by Bobhopkins
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Date Submitted: 05/03/2011 04:11 AM
Eight Crisis Management Lessons from the Chilean Mine Rescue
1. Take Responsibility
In stepping in to take over the rescue operations, Chile's President Sebastian Pinera took an enormous calculated risk.
The decision could have been influenced by criticism of his government's slow response to the March earthquake near the city of Concepcion.
Whatever the rationale, the Chilean actions contrast sharply with what we
saw in the United States post-Hurricane Katrina, and after the BP disaster, during which the government chose to leave BP in charge.
For Pinera, it clearly paid off.
2. Manage Expectations
Remember the initial estimates that the miners might be out by Christmas? Whether simple caution or a communications strategy ,this was a masterstroke.
It took some of the pressure off, enabled the government to succeed beyond
all hopes and made authorities look competent in the process.
3. Have a Plan
Early on, the Chilean government communicated a Plan A and a Plan B for rescue in a clear, methodical way.
It looked organized and in control. Compare their performance with that of BP, which lurched from one solution to the next, even crowssourcing ideas
for stopping the spill in a way that suggested uncertainty and incompetence.
4. Accept Help -- But Maintain Control
A fascinating aspect of the rescue was the technical help and advice the government sought from private companies and experts at NASA and elsewhere.
Each miner was strapped into a harness inside the 28”-wide Fenix 2 designed by NASA and constructed by the Chilean Navy. The bullet-shaped capsule was equipped with oxygen masks, heart monitors, and video cameras, and the entire rescue was broadcast live on TV and on the internet.