Maintaining focus and enabling advocacy…
The Ladbroke Grove train crash in 1999 resulted in the death of 31 people and injuries, many life-changing, to many more. Almost immediately in the wake of the tragedy, and ahead of any investigation, Railtrack effectively was being positioned as the guilty party.
The company was at the epicentre of a media feeding frenzy.
Ken joined the top-level response team formed to manage the company’s overall crisis response activities.
He instigated a series of management briefings as events unfolded in the month following the crash and ensured that already planned staff roadshows covered the tragedy as well as focused on safety in general.
Regular updates were issued to staff many of whom worked in remote locations scattered across Britain.
Many employees said that the frequent and straightforward nature of how the company kept them informed helped them both stay focused on their roles and to put events into context. This allowed them to talk about the situation more confidently with family and friends who were otherwise relying often sensationalist media coverage.
Crucially, the vast majority attending roadshows believed that the company was committed to running a safe railway — a topic of massive concern from when the railways were privatised.
communicate > engage > mobilise > transform > improve
