The perfect storm in the midst of a pandemic: the use of information within an institution's concurrent crises

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the types of information that were shared by the institution, and faculty/staff responses to the information shared, with the goal of providing recommendations for other institutions facing concurrent crises.Design/methodology/approachThis mixed-methods case study examines a public university's experiences managing the Covid-19 pandemic crisis while simultaneously navigating financial challenges that had been building over time. Using data from university-wide mediated communications and a survey of on-campus stakeholders during the Covid-19 pandemic and university retrenchment process, this paper explores institutional communication, stakeholder response to organizational communication and faculty/staff reactions to information in the midst of concurrent crises.FindingsThe study found that the university used instructing and advising information within its messages from its top administrator but fell short of incorporating empathy for its stakeholders in its initial responses.Research limitations/implicationsUsing the situational crisis communication theory (Coombs, 2019), which recommends the use of an ethical base response to crises, implications are provided for other organizations facing concurrent crises during the Covid-19 pandemic, to also incorporate empathy in their messages to stakeholders whose livelihoods are being affected, across multiple platforms.Originality/valueWeathering the Covid-19 pandemic and long-term financial pitfalls have proven to be a disruptive phenomenon for higher education institutions. This research expands understanding of institutional communication and stakeholder reactions in a higher education institution facing both the Covid-19 crisis and a retrenchment.Peer reviewThe peer-review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-09-2020-0415.

Institutional and programmatic determinants for graduate public affairs’ online education: Assessing the influence of faculty workload

“…The more immediate nature of the COVID-19 pandemic is the pending economic recession and exponentially high unemployment rates, which has created “stacked crises” for institutions of higher education (Slagle et al, 2021b). Historically, enrollment rates are inversely related to unemployment rates.…”

Mixed-methods process evaluation of a residence-based SARS-CoV-2 testing participation pilot on a UK university campus during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Studies of health messaging during previous pandemics (e.g., [ 47 ]: H1N1) have identified the challenges of communicating effectively to staff and students about the spread of viruses without inciting unnecessary fear or promoting complacency. Further, communications need to account for known variability in health literacy in student populations [ 48 ], and empathy in messaging is critical but often overlooked in a pandemic situation [ 49 ].…”

Mixed-methods Process Evaluation of a Residence-based SARS-CoV-2 Testing Participation Pilot on a UK University Campus during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Studies of health messaging during previous pandemics (e.g., Seale et al, 2011: H1N1) have identi ed the challenges of communicating effectively to staff and students about the spread of viruses without inciting unnecessary fear or promoting complacency. Further, communications need to account for known variability in health literacy in student populations (Chesser et al, 2020), and empathy in messaging is critical but often overlooked in a pandemic situation (Slagle et al, 2021).…”