Agree the support arrangement before announcing it

An organization’s ability to cope with a crisis also depends on the support it could obtain beyond its own structures. Preparing for such support requires identifying actors with suitable resources and examining the conditions under which those resources could be used. Alongside willingness to help, the requirements of both organizations need to be considered.

Suppose a nursery temporarily cannot use its building after water damage and considers rooms in a neighbouring school. Before offering alternative provision to families, the organizations would need to establish whether those rooms are suitable for childcare and available at the required times. Access, equipment and the effects on school activities would also determine whether the arrangement is feasible.

In our published working paper “Bewertung von organisationaler Krisen-Resilienz anhand des Resilienzrisikoreifegrades” (Rico Kerstan and André Röhl, NBS Northern Business School, No. 1/2025), we distinguish internal and external perspectives on organizational resilience. The title concerns assessing organizational crisis resilience through resilience risk maturity: a qualitative, scenario-based assessment of risks, resistance and coping capabilities. Mutual support forms part of the external coping perspective.

If cooperation proves feasible, providing the resources also creates a shared need for information. Families would need to know when childcare could begin, where it would take place and what provision would be available. If the school announces a reopening while the nursery is still clarifying times or access, the announcements could create conflicting expectations.

I therefore recommend deriving public information from the agreed conditions of support. In this assumed example, the nursery would explain childcare arrangements and restrictions to families, while the school confirms information about rooms and access. Both would also need to agree how changes reach the other organization and how published notices are corrected.

A preparatory coordination meeting can compare the proposed notices once the scope and conditions of support are clear. This would establish whether both describe the same provision or whether an organizational question still needs to be resolved before informing families.