Helping Crisis Managers Protect Reputational Assets

TLDR

SCCT, a situational crisis communication theory, is premised on matching crisis response to the level of crisis responsibility, and this study is the first to articulate and begin to test such a theory. The study advances SCCT, a theory guiding crisis response strategies to protect reputation, and examines whether the predicted correlation between crisis responsibility and organizational reputation holds across various crisis types. The authors assess the correlation between crisis responsibility and organizational reputation across multiple crisis types to test SCCT. Results confirm SCCT’s predictions and offer refinements to the theory.

Abstract

A situational crisis communication theory (SCCT), which articulates the variables, assumptions, and relationships that should be considered in selecting crisis response strategies to protect an organization’s reputation, is advanced. Although various studies taking a situational approach have touched on certain of the theory’s variables and relationships, this study represents the first attempt to articulate and begin to test a situational theory of crisis communication. SCCT is premised on matching the crisis response to the level of crisis responsibility attributed to a crisis. The study explores one of the basic assumptions of SCCT by assessing whether the predicted correlational relationship between crisis responsibility and organizational reputation occurs across a range of crisis types. Results support the theory’s predictions and suggest ways to refine the theory.