5. When Trauma Isn’t a Given (When an Event That Should Produce Trauma, Doesn’t)

But while trauma may be a real, observable phenomenon, does it have any effects beyond the obvious? Should organizations be concerned with trauma incidents and, if so, to what extent? In fact, it’s often difficult to say to what extent the brand trauma contributes to an organization’s possible demise, and we often wonder why the guilty seem to go unpunished. Indeed, a major theme explored in this chapter is designed to answer a question that troubles some: “Why, in the face of an evident crisis or event do some stakeholders not abandon the organization?” Well, even when it seems an organization or professional who violated our trust won’t experience any trauma of their own, that’s not the case. Even if the organization doesn’t appear to be affected, for example, there’s no loss of sales, membership doesn’t decline or the stock doesn’t fall, other effects will surface.