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Our offices will be closed for the holiday season from December 25, 2025, to January 11, 2026. For urgent matters, please contact support@pecb.com.
Our offices will be closed for the holiday season from December 25, 2025, to January 11, 2026. For urgent matters, please contact support@pecb.com.
A crisis is a disruptive event that threatens an organization’s operations, reputation, or long-term viability. It may occur suddenly, such as a cyberattack or system failure, or develop gradually from unresolved issues that escalate over time. Regardless of how it emerges, a crisis introduces uncertainty, time pressure, and the need for rapid, well-informed decision-making.
Crisis management is the structured and coordinated approach used to address such events. It encompasses the processes, strategies, and actions required to anticipate potential crises, prepare for their occurrence, respond effectively when they arise, and restore normal operations afterward. At its core, crisis management focuses on maintaining control, ensuring clear communication, and minimizing disruption while protecting people, assets, and organizational integrity.
Organizations operate in an increasingly volatile and interconnected environment, where multiple crises may arise over time. Disruptive events such as extreme weather, third-party failures, and cyberattacks have become common, reflecting both environmental uncertainties and growing digital dependencies.
This evolving landscape is supported by findings from the BCI Crisis Management Report 2024 [1](Figure 1), which shows that while 23.0% of organizations reported no crisis team activation in the past 12 months, a majority (57.9%) activated their crisis teams between one and five times, with others reporting even higher frequencies. These findings highlight that crises are not isolated events but recurring operational realities for many organizations.
[1] Business Continuity Institute (BCI). BCI Crisis Management Report 2024. London: BCI, 2024. https://25782305.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/25782305/Crisis-Management-Report-2024.pdf
Figure 1. Frequency of Crisis Team Activation
In this context, crisis management becomes essential, as the way an organization responds to a crisis can directly affect its continuity, credibility, and long-term sustainability. Poorly managed crises may result in financial losses, operational disruptions, legal consequences, and lasting reputational damage. Furthermore, clear and timely communication throughout all phases of a crisis is critical for maintaining stakeholder trust and preventing the spread of misinformation, particularly in fast-paced digital environments.
Additional insights from the BCI Crisis Management Report 2024 (Figure 2) further illustrate the diverse and evolving nature of organizational risks. Extreme weather events emerge as the leading cause of crisis activation (38.5%), followed by third-party failures and cyberattacks (both 27.6%), highlighting the growing impact of climate-related disruptions and digital interdependencies. Other notable causes include civil unrest or conflict (19.0%), health and safety incidents (14.9%), and data breaches (14.4%). This wide distribution of causes demonstrates that crises can originate from environmental, technological, operational, and socio-political factors, reinforcing the need for comprehensive and adaptable crisis management strategies.
identification, preparedness, response, and recovery, they can reduce the likelihood of crises and mitigate their impact. Strengthening training and awareness, along with reinforcing leadership and communication practices, also enables organizations to respond effectively, navigate uncertainty, and protect both operations and reputation.
ISO 22361 provides guidance for organizations to develop, establish, maintain, monitor, and continually improve strategic crisis management capabilities. It promotes a structured approach built on leadership, structure, culture, and competence, supported by key principles such as governance, strategy, risk, decision-making, communication, ethics, and learning.
The standard also defines a comprehensive crisis management process covering anticipation, assessment, prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and continual improvement.
Applicable to organizations of all types, sizes, and industries, ISO 22361 supports leadership commitment, strengthens strategic decision-making, enhances communication during crises, improves organizational resilience, and fosters a strong safety culture.
The PECB Crisis Management Certification validates your competence in crisis management, aligned with internationally recognized best practices. With a PECB crisis management certification, you will:
How Do I Get Started?
Certification is a powerful way to demonstrate your skills and competence. Getting started begins with understanding core crisis management concepts and standards such as ISO 22361. By attending PECB training courses, candidates gain practical knowledge of crisis management principles, processes, and best practices, preparing them to apply these skills within their organizations and pursue certification.
Contact us to begin with the first step!
PECB Certified Crisis Management Available Training Courses
Enhance your knowledge and improve your career in crisis management by taking part in our crisis management training courses. Check the training courses below and find the one that suits you best.
PECB Certified Lead Crisis Manager
Obtain the necessary knowledge and skills to plan, implement, manage, and improve a crisis management capability based on ISO 22361 guidelines and other best practices for crisis management.
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