Moving On

In addition to paying keen attention to the 10 rules just highlighted, it is mandatory for organizations to recognize the importance of knowing when and how to move on, and when to put the crisis behind them. However, in taking this positive step forward, organizations must be sure they appreciate the impact the crisis has had and might continue to have on the stakeholders associated with it. After all, as Kent State University learned, it is seldom as easy as relocating or simply changing the business's name when "moving on."

On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guard members killed four students demonstrating over the United States' involvement in Vietnam. Although it was widely believed that the guardsmen were not in grave danger and, therefore, the fault was hardly that of the Kent State students, many believed the university would always be known first and foremost for the massacre.

In 1986, the university in part because of the tragic event removed the "State" from official stationery and letterhead. It was believed that one way to move on was to jettison a portion of the university's full name. Even during the 1999 basketball season, media notes handed out to the press covering games involving the Golden Flashes reminded members of the media to refer to the team as "Kent" instead of "Kent State." Sports information officials also made sure that the scoreboards in the arenas said Kent and not Kent State.

Ultimately, however, the alumni wanted the old name back. Most of them were proud of being Kent State students and Kent just sounded too foreign to many of them. So, in 2000, in time for the 30th anniversary of the school's ultimate crisis, the university reportedly paid an outside firm $300,000 to design a new logo and changed almost 100 on-campus signs back to read "Kent State."

In the same light, companies that have endured a significant crisis cannot just change their names in hopes that people will forget.

Recognizing the past, appreciating its role with important stakeholders, and moving on in an appropriate manner is more desirable than attempting to disguise or gloss over important crises.