A crisis is defined as any situation that threatens to harm a person or property, disrupt business, negatively impact an organization or damage its reputation. There are three elements that constitute a crisis:  (1) Threat to the organization (2) The element of Surprise (3) Short decision Time.

The role of crisis management is to help manage these situations when they occur, or where possible, avoid them from happening altogether. In other words, Crisis management is the process by which an organization deals with a major event that threatens to harm the organization, its stakeholders, or the general public.  It is considered to be the most important process in public relations.