Embedding issue management as a strategic element of crisis prevention

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to characterize the danger period which extends before a crisis and to position issue management as an effective crisis prevention discipline. Design/methodology/approach The paper explores scholarship regarding the developing concept of active pre‐crisis management, the growing acceptance of crisis management as an integrated process and the implications of this holistic approach in providing opportunities for proactive intervention. Findings While crisis preparedness and prevention have become established as integral parts of organizational crisis management, there is no agreement on taxonomy and no accepted optimal process to formalize the methodology to deliver effective strategies. Originality/value After identifying and characterizing this gap in management research, the paper nominates issue management as an optimal option and identifies four broad areas where issue management can contribute to crisis prevention.