Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy

Crisis Management

I used to work with a well-known computer company in Taiwan. Our Dutch production facility once ran into problems and caused delays in shipment. The delayed shipment was a negative publicity reported in international press. The situation was pretty dire. As the highest-ranking officer, I took a team of key staffs and headed to the Netherlands for crisis management.

The complexity of the problem was beyond our expectation and the situation was a mess. The major problem was the order-taking personnel did not record the detailed specifications of the order. The production flow was not designed to be efficient, causing the planning and scheduling highly difficult. The situation was even aggravated by the cultural and ethnic differences between the Taiwanese managers and local workers.

When everything seemed to be in the deadlock, I thought about the Tai Ji Men Kungfu I practiced. Our Shifu taught us to clearly differentiate right from wrong and distinguish yin from yang. When dealing with people and solving problems, we must think clearly and positively. I knew I had to understand the cause and effect of the whole situation before making any decisions to solve problems. For that reason, I took a moment to calm down. I then tried to understand the cause of the crisis by patiently listening to explanations. After getting the whole picture of the situation and the key to the problems, we clearly identified the critical points and solutions became obvious.

First of all, we reconfirmed the orders with our clients to ensure the correct product specifications. Then, we coordinated inter-departmental communications and rescheduled the production. We also established the production scheduling system and the supporting networks with headquarters in Taiwan. Regular communications were maintained to reassure the effectiveness of the system. We worked together to rebuild customer confidence in our high quality products and services. In the shortest possible time, we responded sensibly to the crisis. I realized the kungfu I practiced for years had played a role in allowing me to face the chaos with calm and sensibility. This is the essence of my Shifu