When faced with a crisis organisations will often reach for the
apparent solution of an inquiry to look at the problem. But too
often the reality of what conducting a proper inquiry means is not
considered. It may not be a panacea.
When organisations announce that an inquiry is to be held, they
do not really appreciate what this means and what the implications
are. It may offer relief from some immediate poor media coverage
and show to consumers, regulators, politicians and others that they
are taking the problem seriously.
When the organisation itself feels that these audiences may not
trust them, then they may even go a step further and set-up an
independent inquiry.
However, in my experience, there can be some significant
potential pitfalls that should be considered from the outset:
