MGT811 Contemporary Management Capabilities Critical Incident Report

This report addresses a critical incident where a company CEO faces accusations of sexual harassment, necessitating a comprehensive analysis of leadership competencies and crisis management strategies. The report, prepared for senior management, explores the implications of the allegations, which have gained significant media attention, and their impact on the organization. It emphasizes the importance of effective communication with internal and external stakeholders, ethical leadership, and the need for transparency. The report details immediate recommendations for the accused CEO, highlighting the need for emotional intelligence and responsible conduct. Furthermore, it outlines proactive measures to prevent similar incidents in the future, including enhanced scrutiny in recruitment processes and the establishment of clear communication protocols. The report underscores the significance of a strong ethical framework, emphasizing the importance of acting in the best interest of the organization and its employees while upholding justice and maintaining the company's reputation. It also suggests the formation of a team of public relations experts to manage media interactions and protect the company's image during the crisis. Finally, the report emphasizes the need for thorough investigations and appropriate legal actions if the CEO is found guilty, while ensuring a safe and respectful work environment for all employees.

Running head: CONTEMPORARY MANAGEMNET CAPABILITIES
Critical Incident Reporting
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction:...................................................................................................................2
Discussion:.....................................................................................................................3
Major highlights of the report:...................................................................................3
Conclusion:....................................................................................................................7
References:.....................................................................................................................8

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Introduction:
The news of the CEO of one’s organisation been accused of being a sexual assaulter
when he was the COO in his previous company has gone viral and gained immense response
because of the minute details and accuracy presented by the victims. It is no doubt that this
incident in itself is of a great shame as well as a deep corporate wound for the present
company where the person is now appointed as the CEO. Though the news has not been
confirms and the case is under investigation but the ex-employees have separately given their
wordings without any prior knowledge of each other which altogether makes the whole
incident much more believable. Therefore in lieu of such a situation the managerial heads of
the company that is the board of directors has asked for a concise report of how the situation
can be handled, what are the immediate recommendations that needs to be followed by the
accused and what could be the possible steps in handling such sensitive issues in the near
future. The report will specifically highlight on the “key personal competencies” which a
leader must possess to become an example for the others to follow. The report will
specifically highlight on how proper crisis communication with the internal and external
stakeholders of the company can act as the key to control the crisis situation (Coombs &
Holladay, 2014).

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Discussion:
Being the CEO or the Chief Executive Officer of the company is no doubt a position
of great honour as well as responsibility. Hence when such an important person of the
organization is accused of being involved in such a heinous crime like sexual assault, the
whole company that is the complete administration of the corporate identity takes a backseat
(Janssen, Sen & Bhattacharya, 2015). Therefore in such a crisis situation proper
communication which consists of both internal communication as well as external
communication is of prime importance. The report which would be submitted to the company
board will basically highlight on certain major issues: firstly how the present situation can be
handle in a better way and next is how the present CEO who has been accused should behave
in front of the media and third is the stringent actions which should be observed in future to
help prevent such scenarios.
Major highlights of the report:
 The CEO must understand the gravity of the whole situation and show his
emotional intelligence to deal with this undulating situation (Clarke, 2016). As
the news has not yet being confirmed but the media is spreading the news,
creating rumour in such a crisis period the CEO should never lose his calm nor
his confidence and act responsible in the whole crisis period. It is best
expected of him to openly communicate with the internal stakeholders of the
present company, and in an unbiased manner tell the truth.
 The company staffs and other managerial staffs of the company should not act
suspicious of the CEO until and unless the whole investigation is complete.
Rather this is the most appropriate time to act as a team, and protect each other
(Galvin, et al. 2014). None of the employees or staffs should give way to any

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rumour or act disrespectfully with the accused until and unless the facts are
proven and the investigation is complete.
 The next important consideration which needs to be taken into concern is that
the higher management should appoint a team of public relations experts or
corporate communication experts if it does not have an internal team to give
support to the whole situation. The team should constantly assist the CEO in
every action he takes, every move he makes in front of the media, the
statements he give so that the further spread of the rumour can be stopped.
Because in every crisis situation media communication plays a very crucial
role and must be dealt in a sensitive manner (Song, Cho & Kim, 2017).
 No matter how difficult situation is abiding by the ethics and being truthful to
oneself and to the organisation should b the first and foremost priority of every
leader (Giles, 2016). Hence in this given crisis situation the CEO is best
expected to let the present company know about the truth if anything has not
been revealed in the past. The CEO should help the company analyse the
whole situation by providing valid information, cross checking facts with the
previous company so that the decision which is to be taken by the board of
directors must act in the best favour for all the concerned parties.
 It also very necessary to undertake an internal assessment of the present staffs
and employees to ascertain whether they have ever felt anything wrong in the
behaviour pattern of the CEO. This should be done without informing the
accused and anonymously. This is very necessary to understand if the
company ahs overlooked on certain core issues or not paid much attention to
which might act as a good proof acting either in favour or against the whole

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situation. The employees and all the staffs must be encouraged to answer in an
unbiased manner and let the truth prevail.
 Another important consideration which needs to be assessed is for the
recruitment department. The human resource department must exercise a
strong scrutiny of every single candidate before appointing them. The scrutiny
must include a background check of the employees from the organisation they
have previously been associated with (Arnaud & Wasieleski, 2014). This is
particularly necessary to help prevent this kind of crisis situation in future and
save the reputation of the organization.
 Every leader is expected to act prudent in any crisis situation. Hence the CEO
who is under continuous monitoring and investigation should not get involved
in any kind suspicious activity especially when he is already under accusation.
For the time being it is best advisable to set him off from all his official
responsibilities and let him plan how he can best manage his reputation as well
as the business firms reputation (Schnee, 2017) and who are his most
confident and reliable source on whom he can rely as his best witness during
the investigation
 Another major recommendation which needs to be highlighted in front the
board of directors is choosing who would act as the spokesperson on behalf of
the whole company to communicate any information in front of the media
(Nijkrake, Gosselt & Gutteling, 2015). The company needs to choose the
person very wisely because the media will try to find loopholes and attack
back in case of any discrepancy. Hence the decision needs to be taken on an
urgent basis and in a cautious manner.

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 In case the CEO is found guilty of the present accusation, the company is
bound to take stringent legal actions against him alongside his replacement
and in such a situation there would be no further room for discussions, appeals
or hearing. This is very necessary for the company safeguard its reputation as
well as ensure a safe work environment for all its employees which does not
encourage any kind of criminal offence (Carroll, 2017).

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Conclusion:
Thus from the above presented discussion it is very much evident that when any
corporate identity faces such critical situation, the whole management endures the counter
reactions of the same. It is the most crucial time when the whole organisation is expected to
come together to fight back in favour of truth help the investigators to find the criminal.
Cases of sexual assault in corporate structures have prevailed since a long period time. Some
get the light of media while others are just suppressed by the organisations because of the fear
of bad reputation, loss of employment and altogether losing its market share. However every
single organisation must not forget the fact that each of these corporate identity function in a
society and take in a lot form the society. Hence they are expected to stand as a responsible
corporate identity ascertaining to certain standards of performance. It is especially during
such crisis situation that these corporate firms are expected to meet utmost justice by
punishing the criminal and safeguarding the victims no matter how dear the accused is to the
organisation. This helps the society to keep faith in the company and altogether enhances its
reputation (Jones Christensen, et al. 2014). Here in this above presented report thought the
accusation against the company CEO has not been confirmed yet and the investigation is on
yet the company has decided to form certain rules which are necessarily to deal effectively in
such a crisis situation and most importantly not to lose the trust of the general mass. The
company is positive enough to work in the best interest of the society and thus report
specifically addresses the core issues of dilemma and ensures to keep a transparency in the
whole communication process till the final investigation reports are revealed.

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References:
Arnaud, S., & Wasieleski, D. M. (2014). Corporate humanistic responsibility: Social
performance through managerial discretion of the HRM. Journal of Business Ethics, 120(3),
313-334.
Carroll, A. B. (2017). The moral leader: Essential for successful corporate citizenship.
In Perspectives on corporate citizenship (pp. 139-151). Routledge.
Clarke, M. (2016). Addressing the soft skills crisis. Strategic HR review.
Coombs, W. T., & Holladay, S. J. (2014). How publics react to crisis communication
efforts. Journal of Communication Management.
Galvin, T., Gibbs, M., Sullivan, J., & Williams, C. (2014). Leadership competencies
of project managers: An empirical study of emotional, intellectual, and managerial
dimensions. Journal of Economic Development, Management, IT, Finance, and
Marketing, 6(1), 35.
Giles, S. (2016). The most important leadership competencies, according to leaders
around the world. Harvard Business Review, 15.
Janssen, C., Sen, S., & Bhattacharya, C. B. (2015). Corporate crises in the age of
corporate social responsibility. Business Horizons, 58(2), 183-192.
Jones Christensen, L. I. S. A., Mackey, A., & Whetten, D. (2014). Taking
responsibility for corporate social responsibility: The role of leaders in creating,
implementing, sustaining, or avoiding socially responsible firm behaviors. Academy of
Management Perspectives, 28(2), 164-178.

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Nijkrake, J., Gosselt, J. F., & Gutteling, J. M. (2015). Competing frames and tone in
corporate communication versus media coverage during a crisis. Public relations
review, 41(1), 80-88.
Schnee, C. (2017). Understanding a leader’s behaviour: Revisiting the role of
reputation management in leadership research. Corporate Reputation Review, 20(1), 27-39.
Song, S. Y., Cho, E., & Kim, Y. K. (2017). Personality factors and flow affecting
opinion leadership in social media. Personality and Individual Differences, 114, 16-23.