Empathy as a main ingredient of impactful crisis communication: The perspectives of crisis communication practitioners

Schoofs, Lieze; Fannes, Gijs; Claeys, An‐Sofie

doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2022.102150

Cited by 23 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The researcher reached the conclusion that the proper use of public relations remains a crucial strategy for proactively preventing crises inside an organization. Ultimately, the researcher reached the conclusion that public relations is and will remain a very influential factor in the effective handling of crises inside organizations (Schoofs et al, 2022).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crisis Management and Communication in Public Relations

et al. 2023

IJFMR

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In the era of globalization, the implementation of crisis management has become essential for ensuring the long-term viability of any organization. This paper seeks to provide novel qualitative findings regarding the significance of public relations in crisis communications strategies within organizations. This paper makes a significant contribution by offering a comprehensive review of the use of comprehensive crisis communication strategies throughout the governmental and corporate sectors across specific disciplines. The researcher employs a theoretical framework on problem management to examine the function of public relations in the context of strategic communication planning. The essay examines the function of public relations in strategic crisis communication, focusing on the viewpoints of public relations managers inside these businesses. The study included the use of 19 comprehensive electronic interviews to gather data from public relations managers working as public relations business consultants as well as in the governmental and commercial sectors. This study examines the many possibilities and problems associated with the implementation of strategic crisis communication planning within public relations departments. The article suggests that there is room for improvement in the implementation of crisis communication planning inside organizations. It emphasizes the need to integrate crisis communication planning with proactive communication techniques in the field of public relations, as opposed to relying only on reactive methods. In summary, the essay provides a comprehensive theoretical analysis and practical insights on the enhancement of public relations' role in strategic crisis communication planning inside an organization.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crisis Management and Communication in Public Relations

et al. 2023

IJFMR

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“…Using a particular case study, this work contributes to the theoretical framework of crisis management and communications by exposing and applying a series of useful practices to deal with crisis moments (e.g., Claeys et al, 2016;Sawalha, 2019;Schoofs et al, 2022;van Zoonen & van der Meer, 2015), with a special emphasis on SCCT (Coombs, 2007;Coombs et al, 2021). Thus, it provides perspectives on possible strategies, types of crisis response, and subsequent recommendations for preventable crises.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, within relevant literature, it has been suggested that crisis management involves 70% or more emphasis on communication (Coombs et al, 2021). Evidence indicates that crisis management practice communication should be proactive, empathetic, and goal-oriented, as this translates into better perceptions of organizational reputation by stakeholders (Sawalha, 2019;Schoofs et al, 2022). Additionally, it underscores the importance of considering message timing (Claeys et al, 2016;Contreras-Pacheco et al, 2022) and carefully selecting communication sources to build credibility with audiences, particularly in a context dominated by social media (van Zoonen & van der Meer, 2015).…”

Section: Stakeholders Reputation and Crisis Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When considering the potential implications of manipulating the truth through a false crisis response (or even the mere suspicion of doing so), it becomes clear that the involved company must fully embrace its role in handling the situation appropriately to protect its reputation. While its focus should be on minimizing the negative impact of the crisis on the organization and safeguarding stakeholders' interests, maintaining trust and credibility internally and externally is equally vital (Bundy et al, 2017;Schoofs et al, 2022). However, it is no less important to understand that the exhaustive pursuit of truth should take priority, and transparency with stakeholders is essential for any crisis manager.…”

Section: Loss Of Trustmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Crisis communication strategies: A qualitative study about a natural medicine controversy in Colombia

Contreras-Pacheco,

Álvarez-Arciniegas,

Garnica-Rugeles

2024

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This study examines how businesses respond to reputational damage caused by reputation crises. Drawing on the qualitative analysis of a Colombian natural medicine company facing a disruptive event that threatened its flagship product and business, the case study explores the company’s response to media suspicions of tampering with a phytotherapeutic product. The findings reveal significant inconsistencies in the firm’s organizational responses and their repercussions on stakeholders and the industry. This study sheds light on the strategic use of responses detached from reality in crisis scenarios to protect reputation. In addition, the study highlights that the analyzed company deviated from established crisis management strategies outlined in theory. The company did not implement the ‘steal the thunder’ approach, as it failed to proactively disclose the crisis. Moreover, the company prioritized instrumental responses over normative or ethical considerations. The analysis of the identified deviations from established crisis management principles further emphasizes the importance of the work’s findings and their theoretical and practical implications for developing more effective crisis communication strategies grounded in truth-seeking.

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“…Much of the crisis communication literature examines the messages organizations disseminate during or after a crisis occurs (Van Der Meer, 2016), as well as the outcomes of the crisis with a particular emphasis on outcomes beneficial to organizations, like reputation repair, image recovery and profit (Fussell Sisco, 2012; Schoofs et al, 2022; Tao, 2023; Zhao, 2022). For example, Schoofs et al (2022) examined the value of organizational empathy in restoring an organization's image after a crisis and determined that empathy should be communicated throughout a crisis response to trigger stakeholder empathy towards the organization. Similarly, Zhao (2022) examined the extent to which nationalism influences the public's perception of corporate crises on Chinese social media, with results suggesting nationalist expression uniquely influences crisis perceptions and directions.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factionalism and schisms: Analyzing network structure and characteristics of online opinion leaders in an international religious crisis

Morehouse,

Boatwright

2023

Contingencies & Crisis Mgmt

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This study addresses gaps in the crisis communication literature by examining the role and influence of online opinion leaders in an overlooked type of crisis—organizational factionalism and schisms. This study examined network attributes and characteristics of online opinion leaders during an international religious crisis by conducting a social network analysis of 27,710 posts on Twitter concerning the impending schism within the United Methodist Church. By bridging research on religious crises, organizational factions and schisms, and online opinion leadership in the public relations literature, our results advance theorizing in crisis communication, particularly for Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT). Results reveal online opinion leaders are influential entities and sources of information regarding the crisis, and are not homogeneous in their opinions, thus reflecting the ideological diversity present within factionalism crises. This study confirms and advances previous research by arguing that traditional methods of categorizing crises according to SCCT should not be solely relied on for factionalism and organizational schisms.

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Empathy as a main ingredient of impactful crisis communication: The perspectives of crisis communication practitioners

Cited by 23 publications

References 46 publications

Crisis Management and Communication in Public Relations

Crisis Management and Communication in Public Relations

Crisis communication strategies: A qualitative study about a natural medicine controversy in Colombia

Factionalism and schisms: Analyzing network structure and characteristics of online opinion leaders in an international religious crisis

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