4 Steps to Build a Strong Crisis Management Team | Edstellar

A major crisis doesn't knock twice. It's unpredictable and hits hard, often leaving no time to catch your breath. 

That's the unforgiving nature of disruption. If your organization is still sidelining crisis planning hoping for the best without preparing for the worst you're playing a dangerous game. When the damage is massive, recovery is anything but easy. And in those high-stakes moments, survival doesn't come from last-minute decisions it comes from having the right crisis management team that has already taken action to protect what matters most.

We saw this unfold during the COVID-19 pandemic. It struck with little to no warning. There was no playbook. Most organizations were caught off guard. And while we eventually found ways to adapt and move forward, it came at a massive cost lost lives, fractured systems, and economic devastation. In the U.S. alone, the total cost of COVID-19 is estimated to reach $7.9 trillion over the coming decade. Today, if a similar crisis were to strike, we'd face it with far more clarity, structure, and strength. That, in essence, is the true spirit of crisis management: preparing to act before the crisis even occurs.

“ Crisis management is managing the crisis before there is a crisis. ”

John C. Maxwell

Leadership Expert

The need for preparation is only intensifying. According to the Health Action Alliance, 30% of business executives expect another pandemic by 2025, while 50% anticipate one within the next decade. Echoing this urgency, the White House warns that another serious pandemic is likely to occur soon, and without transformative investments in preparedness, we will not be meaningfully ready.

However, organizational crises come in many forms: internal scandals, natural disasters, global pandemics, economic meltdowns, or geopolitical shocks. The question is no longer if a crisis will strike, but when and how ready you'll be when it does.

Despite these warnings, many organizations remain unready. The 2024 BCI Crisis Management Report reveals that while 75.1% of organizations activated crisis management teams in the past year, a staggering 30.1% of employees are still unaware of any crisis plan, and 27% of designated team members lack the training required to act under pressure.

So, how do you build a crisis management team that can analyze the past and foretell the future, and most importantly, prepare for it with confidence and clarity?

This blog walks you through four essential steps to help you do exactly that so when the next disruption hits, your organization doesn't just react it responds with precision.

Step-by-Step Guide to Forming a Resilient Crisis Management Team

When you strip away the uncertainty of crisis, one truth remains: readiness is a choice. Organizations that successfully navigate crises or disruptions don’t do so because they just happened to get lucky. Instead, they had systems, strategies, and behaviors in place by design. They don't wait for threats to strike; they anticipate them, rehearse them, and build the muscle to act when it counts.

“ Businesse's preparation in your own work environment is going to be critical to being ready for the next threat. And it’s going to happen it’s not going to be a once-in-a-century event, it’s going to be more frequent, unfortunately. ”

Zeke Emanuel

Vice Provost for Global Initiatives

It’s with this mindset that the most resilient organizations approach crisis management not as an occasional checklist item, but as a continuous process. 

Here’s a step-by-step framework to help you build a crisis management team that stays focused amid chaos, aligns quickly, and takes control when every second counts.

Step 1: Clearly Define Crisis Management Objectives

The foundation of a resilient crisis management team isn't just about assembling the right people it begins with looking back. Before you form a team, you need to be crystal clear on its purpose, objectives, and what past crises have taught us. Without this reflection, you risk building a team that reacts rather than leads.

What Global Corporations Can Learn:

The crisis may have been health-focused, but the approach applies universally. Whether you're a logistics company, a financial institution, or a tech enterprise, the lesson is the same:

Before drafting a team, define your crisis management objectives.

• Is it ensuring operational continuity across critical functions?
• Is it protecting your brand reputation?
• Is it safeguarding employee safety and mental well-being?
• Is it maintaining investor and board confidence?
• Is it mitigating legal, compliance, or regulatory risks?
• Is it defending against cybersecurity threats and technology disruptions?
• Is it preserving supply chain continuity and vendor reliability?
• Is it managing customer relationships and ensuring service delivery?

Your team's design should flow directly from the goals you have. That's what gives the team clarity in chaos.

Understanding where your organization is most vulnerable is another critical aspect you have to consider before assigning roles.

This responsibility falls on "executive leadership, risk and compliance teams, and functional department heads" the people who already have broad visibility into the organization's operations and exposure points.

You need to assess your organization's weak spots across multiple dimensions operations, technology, communication, supply chain, people, and public perception.

The goal isn't to predict every possible crisis it's to be deliberate in scanning for risks and reducing the odds of exposure. 

Understanding the nature of potential crises is crucial, the most common triggers include extreme weather events (38.5%), third-party failures (27.6%), and cyber-attacks (27.6%). - 2024 BCI Crisis Management Report

Ask yourself:

• What could go wrong?
• What are we doing today to reduce that risk?

Teams that skip this step often scramble during a crisis, debating next moves in the middle of the storm. But teams that define both their purpose and exposure early can act with speed, relevance, and unity.

As you move forward, ask yourself: What did your organization learn from the recent crisis, internal disruptions, or market volatility?

Your answers will shape not just who's on your team but why they're there in the first place.

Step 2: Structure the Right Crisis Management Team

Once you've identified your organization's vulnerabilities, the next step is to build a crisis team that's designed for action. This team won't just sit on org charts. They'll be your first responders when disruption strikes equipped with the authority, expertise, and clarity needed to lead under pressure.

Think in Terms of Expertise, Not Hierarchy.

• Don't just ask, "Who should be in the room?"
• Ask, "What decisions need to be made in the first hour of a crisis and who has the right skill, judgment, and speed to make them?"

Crisis management isn't about covering every department. It's about ensuring your team includes people who are tested in ambiguity, can make rapid decisions with incomplete information, and are aligned to your crisis management objectives.

Core Roles on a Crisis-Ready Team

Here's how to structure a team that moves with precision and protects your organization when it matters most:

1. Crisis Team Leader

At the heart of every effective crisis response is a clear, confident leader. The Crisis Team Leader, often referred to as The General, is the strategic decision-maker who owns the direction of the team's response.

They set priorities, coordinate across functions, and ensure that every action is aligned with the larger organizational objective. Their leadership is what keeps the team focused when chaos strikes. This person doesn't need to be the CEO, but they must command authority, remain calm under extreme pressure, and have the confidence to act quickly with limited information.

What to look for: Look for individuals with cross-functional leadership experience and a proven ability to manage complexity in high-stakes environments.

2. Deputy Crisis Leader

In a crisis, continuity is everything. The Deputy Crisis Leader is the second-in-command, ready to step up seamlessly if the primary leader becomes unavailable or overwhelmed. This role is not ceremonial; it ensures that leadership never breaks down, even under the most uncertain conditions. The deputy must be deeply involved in all simulations and planning activities and should be fully briefed at all times.

What to look for: Ideal candidates are those with situational awareness, operational insight, and the confidence to lead decisively when called upon.

3. Crisis Scribe / Documentation Lead

Often underappreciated but absolutely vital, the Crisis Scribe is responsible for maintaining a real-time, timestamped log of all crisis-related decisions, actions, and communications. These records are not just useful they're essential. They form the backbone of transparency, enable compliance and legal defense, and are key to post-incident reviews. Their work ensures that history is captured accurately when others are too busy responding.

What to look for:  The person in this role must be highly detail-oriented, disciplined, and familiar with regulatory expectations.

4. Crisis Communications Lead

During a crisis, the right message at the right time can build trust or break it. The Crisis Communications Lead is responsible for all internal and external messaging, ensuring clarity, consistency, and speed. 

This person must manage high-stakes communication across platforms, press releases, social media, emails, stakeholder briefings while aligning closely with legal and executive teams. Their role is to ensure that information is controlled, misinformation is prevented, and the public perception of the organization remains stable.

What to look for: Look for individuals with experience in crisis communication strategy, media relations, and agile response capabilities.

5. Designated Spokesperson (The Voice)

While the Communications Lead manages the message, the Spokesperson delivers it. This is the public face of the organization the person who appears on camera, handles media questions, and addresses public and stakeholder concerns. In moments of panic or scrutiny, trust is projected through posture, tone, and transparency.

What to look for: This role is typically filled by a senior executive, often the CEO, who has the gravitas, poise, and communication skills to represent the organization effectively in front of both media and stakeholders. Their presence must convey calm, confidence, and credibility.

6. Functional Domain Leads

These are the specialists who guide tactical response within their area of control. Their insights ensure the response plan is technically sound, compliant, and executable. These roles vary based on the type of crisis.

Roles & What to Look For:

• Legal & Compliance Lead:
  
  • Expertise in regulatory response and crisis-related legal risk
  • Rapid interpretation of legal implications of decisions
  • Familiarity with disclosure and reporting requirements

• Cybersecurity / IT Lead:
  
  • Experience with cyber breach response and systems recovery
  • Knowledge of internal IT architecture and external threat mitigation
  • Ability to coordinate fast technical fixes under pressure

• Operations & Continuity Head:
  
  • Familiarity with critical workflows, vendors, and service delivery
  • Crisis continuity planning experience
  • Ability to activate alternative operational plans

• HR / Behavioral Health Lead:
  
  • Background in employee relations, trauma response, and morale management
  • Emotional intelligence and communication tact
  • Experience managing workforce disruptions and internal well-being

• Finance Lead (if applicable):
  
  • Crisis budgeting and risk exposure analysis
  • Stakeholder communication on financial impact
  • Knowledge of contingency reserves and funding channels

Each of these roles must be staffed by individuals with real-world crisis exposure.

7. Stakeholder Liaison

This individual ensures your most important stakeholders remain informed and reassured throughout the crisis. From board members and investors to regulators and key clients, these are the people whose trust you cannot afford to lose. The Stakeholder Liaison provides targeted, one-on-one communication that is proactive, transparent, and tailored to each relationship.

What to look for: Look for someone with high emotional intelligence, strong business acumen, and a proven ability to navigate sensitive conversations under pressure. This role helps prevent long-term fallout that can arise from silence or misalignment.

Operational Steps After Team Structuring:

Once your team is in place, shift from theoretical planning to operational readiness. Their responsibilities include:

• Facilitating simulations and scenario planning
• Defining decision-making protocols and authority boundaries
• Coordinating documentation and escalation flows
• Developing role-specific crisis playbooks
• Creating central resources like contact trees, media response templates, and real-time communication dashboards

Crisis teams aren't designed to be democratic. They're designed to be effective.

The goal isn't full representation it's precision, clarity, and rapid execution with the right people in the right roles.

Step 3: Build a Scenario-Based Response System

The most effective way to build confidence in your crisis management team is to simulate the storm before it hits.

High-performing crisis management prepares for specific ones, especially the most vulnerable ones.

A ransomware breach requires different leadership dynamics and communication protocols than a product recall or a natural disaster.

Every crisis scenario demands unique decisions, cross-functional coordination, and mental agility under stress. That’s why you need a scenario-based response system.

At its core, it’s about rehearsing reality. These structured simulations allow organizations to test not just their plans, but also their people: 

• How they communicate
• How they escalate
• How they prioritize
• How do they act when information is incomplete and the pressure is high

Why Should You Do Scenario-Based Planning?

Most crisis plans look good on paper until you test them. Scenario-based planning helps you uncover the hidden gaps that will otherwise blindside your team in a real crisis. It tells you who struggles to act under pressure, which roles overlap, where decision-making slows down, and what training is still missing.

You’re not just validating workflows. You’re exposing friction points, testing emotional readiness, and revealing the difference between theoretical roles and real-world action. When done right, scenario planning will show you:

• Who needs more clarity on their role
• Which team members default to silence or overreaction
• Where communication channels break down
• How quickly decisions escalate and whether escalation paths are clear
• What support functions fail to activate or coordinate

By simulating scenarios specific to your business whether that’s a regulatory breach, data compromise, supply chain collapse, or PR fallout you give your team a chance to build the muscle memory they’ll need when it’s no longer a drill.

A crisis management plan is only as strong as the people who can activate it under fire. Scenario-based planning transforms that plan from a document into a dynamic, tested system. 

Step 4: Train, Test, and Evolve

Once you’ve built your scenario-based response system and exposed the cracks gaps in coordination, unclear escalation paths, breakdowns in communication this is the moment where real improvement begins.

This step is about turning your crisis playbook into a living system. It’s where you refine your roles, update your protocols, and most importantly, upskill your people for the next disruption.

But let’s be clear: this isn’t just about learning “skills.” It’s about preparing for behavior under pressure. Because in a real crisis, it’s not your organizational chart that gets tested it’s your team’s psychological and emotional readiness.

It’s more than skill. It’s psychological conditioning.

A crisis throws you into ambiguity, stress, and urgency. Team members won’t have the luxury of perfect information or perfect timing. That’s why emotional resilience and decision-making under duress must be central to your training plan.

Even the most well-structured teams can freeze in real-time if they haven’t been conditioned for chaos. That’s what this phase prevents.

You must train your team to:

• Make fast, high-stakes decisions without all the facts
• Communicate clearly when everyone else is confused
• Recognize emotional breakdowns in themselves and others
• Prioritize what matters and ignore distractions
• Regain control when fear threatens to paralyze action

This is what separates theoretical readiness from practical capability.

This Step Is a Cycle. Not a Checkbox

After every simulation, revisit your strategy:

• Did the team follow the escalation path?
• Did leaders stay composed under pressure?
• Were the right decisions made at the right time?
• Did communication create clarity or confusion?

Nearly half (46.4%) of organizations now conduct post-incident or after-action reviews after every crisis, indicating a growing emphasis on reflective practices.-  2024 BCI Crisis Management Report

Then ask: What broke? What worked? What needs to be changed and who needs to be trained?

Crisis teams need to evolve with every exercise and every disruption. They must grow more aligned, more agile, and more emotionally intelligent every time they test the system.

This final step is the loop that powers all others.

Recommended Training Areas to Build Crisis-Ready Teams

By continuously training, testing, and evolving your team, you’re not just building capabilities you’re building confidence. And that confidence becomes the steady hand your organization relies on when the next crisis inevitably hits.

Conclusion

In today’s volatile world, crisis is no longer a question of if but when. And when that moment arrives, it’s not just preparedness that matters it’s agility. Your ability to pivot under pressure won’t come from a static document. It will come from a crisis management team that’s trained, trusted, and capable of acting with speed, clarity, and confidence.

Yet far too many teams fail in the moment that matters most not because they didn’t have a plan, but because they weren’t trained to execute it under pressure. Theoretically, they’re prepared. Practically, they hesitate. Processes are forgotten. Roles blur. And that’s when real damage begins.

This is where training becomes the differentiator between teams that respond confidently and those that scramble. And the good news? Organizations are waking up to that need. 84.4% of respondents in a survey stated that their investment in crisis management will be directed to training and exercise in 2025.

But training isn’t just about one-time workshops or slide decks it’s about building a system where every team member knows their role, practices their response, and sharpens their decision-making muscle through repeated exposure and simulation. That’s why choosing the right training provider is critical.

At Edstellar, we specialize in preparing teams for high-stakes scenarios. Our instructor-led risk management training programs are designed for real-world execution. And with our proprietary Skill Matrix platform, you can go one step further: map the skills of your crisis team, identify capability gaps, and deliver targeted training that ensures your team can act not freeze when a real crisis hits.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not the most senior title or the longest checklist that gets you through a crisis. It’s the clarity of roles, confidence in execution, and culture of preparedness that truly make a difference.