Effective Communication 1

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND DECISION MAKING DURING

ORGANIZATIONAL CRISIS

Jessica Froehlig

May 2009
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Stress can be detrimental to any organization. There are many serious effects of stress in the

workplace for both employers and employees. A lack of communication or bad habits used in

high stress environments (medical, aviation, law enforcement, military, etc.) can have dangerous

results. In today’s society, even typically non-stressful environments may experience high stress

situations or crises. Effective organizational communication can directly determine the

efficiency of work, problem solving, relationship building and maintaining, as well as how

productive high stress work can be. In what ways can organizations most effectively

communicate and make decisions during times of crisis?

The importance of organizational communication in crises situations is critical in how these

circumstances result. Effective delivery between colleagues is a must in order to achieve

effective stress and crises management in the workplace.

Example High Stress Work Environments

• Police work • Active Military duty / theater of war

• Critical care/trauma nursing support • Airline employees

Example NonStress Work Environment Crises

• Natural disaster • Malicious rumor

• Security breach • Employee death

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Both high stress workplace environments and nonstress workplace environments can experience

a crisis or high-stress situation that can disrupt the general flow of business, greatly affect how

future business is handed, and increase unhealthy stress levels among employees.

Risks of high stress/poor communication related to workplace

Professionals that operate in high stress environments may not be attaining Maslow’s Hierarchy

of Needs for a comfortable emotional state. Falling between safety (comfort) and psychological

needs (belongingness), these individuals may feel they are sacrificing security, order, stability,

workplace relationships or belonging. Not meeting these needs can definitely lead to high

burnout and less productivity.

Employees in high stress environments may face emotional exhaustion, manifesting in loss of

concern, trust, and interest. These tie to feelings of fatigue, irritability, frustration and burnout.

Eventually employees may feel as though they are not able to deliver at a psychologically sound

level (Gaines, 568). Research has suggested fatigue and accident proneness to be serious results

directly related to experiencing workplace crises. It is noted that several critical work related

issues may be affected when experiencing high volumes of organization stress and poor

communication: Reduced job involvement, reduced performance effectiveness, reduced job

satisfaction, absenteeism, turnover, and most importantly, potential occupational hazard (Bhagat,

663). Impaired work performance directly contributes to the generation of additional stressors,

requiring social readjustments and coping for the employee (Bhagat, 668).
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The greatest psychological risk is psych breakdown, that a conceptual system and self identity

have been sacrificed. Individuals will feel vulnerable knowing as thoughts such as “Bad things

cant happen to me” are proven incorrect. This also breaks the idea that “doing the right thing”

will yield good things. Individuals will result in losing their sense of worth and control, seeing

themselves as weak, helpless, needy (Pearson 63). It is critical to focus on positive

communication to ensure that psychological breakdown or hard feelings are prevented.

Strategies for positive communication

When communicating, it is important to remember that the greater the stress, the greater the need

for brevity, clarity and repetition. To help people understand your message, provide information

in small chunks that is easily absorbed. This will ensure an environment of trust, which is harder

when anxiety is high as when people are upset or under pressure they are more distrustful.

(Toner Fung, 2006). In addition to showing competence, your ability to connect will depend on

being caring, empathetic, honest and open. Focus on the negative becomes much stronger when

we are "stressed-out". In times of crisis and anxiety we need to feel heard and that we belong. In

these circumstances, workplace communication needs to include compassion, conviction,

truthfulness and credibility (Toner Fung, 2006).

The better HR is able to manage any of these and communicate about them in a clear and

cohesive manner, the better the chance that the organization will be able to weather the crisis and

continue to operate (HR Focus, 13). Whatever the nature or dimensions of a crisis, how

information is communicated can make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful
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resolution.

Nick Howard (p.43) suggests steps for “How to Communicate in a Crisis”:

• Throw out the rule books, employees need to be able to react quickly and responsibly

• Keep talking to your employees with official, consistent information

• Don’t assume control, identify a leader for this situation, be sure that leader is well

trained to react appropriately with the team

• Continue to stress the company’s core values and emphasize that they will not change

• Best honest about what might change as an organization

• Set out possible outcomes and what you are doing to make them happen or avoid them

Keep staff focused

• Keep lines of communication open between management and employees

• Educate employees

• Management should lead by example-including how to work and behave in these

situations

Motivation, Attitude

Motivated employees succeed more often in high stress workplace environments. Productivity

through the people, as well as positive and respectful relationships between management and

employees will encourage that motivation among others (Lecture: Cultural Approaches). An

attitude of vigorousness toward one’s environment and a stronger commitment to self (Bhagat,

662) will also prove to be efficient in times of crisis. These individuals may be best to include in

a crisis management team or for feedback in planning for future catastrophes. All employees
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that are in typically high stress environments should posses coping and adapting skills, social and

emotional support (life and work), and organizational control (Bhagat, 663).

Crisis Plan, Management

Crisis management effectiveness is achieved when potential crises are averted or stakeholders

believe the outcome short and long term to be successful and outweighing of the failing

outcomes (Pearson 61). Sustain or resume operations, stakeholder losses minimized and learning

occurs so that lessons are transferred to further incidents (Pearson & Clair, 61). A crisis

management team should be identified in all organizations—those that often experience high

stress situations as well as those that may encounter the unexpected. This team should focus on

defining plans for a potential crisis situation: Implement, educate, train, assess, and reevaluate

communication and processes involved in these situations.

Crisis management teams should encompass the 4 C’s: Causes, Consequences, Caution, and

Coping processes into crisis planning (Pearson 62):

• Causes-immediate failures that triggered crisis and the antecedent conditions that

allowed failures to occur.

• Consequences-immediate and long term impacts.

• Caution-measures taken to prevent or minimize impact potential.

• Coping-measures taken to respond to an already occurred crisis.

In the identification of a crisis management team, consider senior level experts with the input of

common experiencing staff (Pearson, 69). Leaders must avoid biases or closed minded thinking,
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both ending as error in decision making, which will lead to additional catastrophe. Key

components of a crisis management plan include ensuring the safety of employees and guests,

implementing response procedures and assigning responsibilities in the event of a disaster

(McCarthey, 9).

Success measurements

Crises are often measured afterward in terms of working to avoid future related situations. Those

that were proven to be managed effectively fit the following criteria: Crisis signals addressed

early, major impact confined within organization, no injury or death, business maintained as

usual during or after crisis, organizational changes policies/procedures as result of crisis, lessons

applied to future incidents, org perceived as heroic, concerned, caring and a victim, resources

readily available for response, ample evidence of timely decisions, grounded in facts. (Pearson,

68).

Further Research Needs

Limited research exists in this space surrounding the risks related to poor communication in high

stress work environments. Most existing scholarly research relates to preparing for crises, or the

aftermath of what businesses experience post crises. Few studies have been conducted related to

the interim issues-steps to take, what to avoid, what is most effective, least effective, etc.

Researchers need to determine clear communicative steps in effective crises management.

Systems can be suggested for how to reward and recognize employees to encourage an

environment of self-responsibility and high performance for future crises as well (Lecture:

Motivation and Rewards).

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Additional research should also focus on better informing those who study organizational crises

and to assist those who manage them (Pearson, 73). Areas with high crises volume may be

tested regularly to develop more concrete facts and statistics related to processes and outcomes.

High stress work environments threaten employees with severe psychological and physiological

problems and experiences. Emotional hazards are consistently presented on the job varying from

death, interpersonal violence, and intense decision making to extreme crises such as natural

disaster. It is important that all organizations to have crisis plans in place as well as efficiently

managed. Atmospheres experiencing regularly high volumes of stress or likelihood for crisis

should be sure to train effectively on positive communication and follow up with psychological

evaluations to ensure sound mental feedback. Companies that fail to do so with eventually face

burnt out employees and just as likely a failed organization.

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References

Bhagat, R. (1983). Effects of Stressful Life Events on Individual Performance Effectiveness and

Work Adjustment Processes within Organizational Settings: A Research Model: The

Academy of Management Review, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct 1983), pp. 660-671.

Gaines, J. and John M. Jermier. (1983). Emotional Exhaustion in a High Stress Organization:

The Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Dec 1983), pp. 567-586.

Howard, N. (2008). How to Communicate in a Crisis. People Management. Vol. 14, No. 25 (Dec

2008), p. 43.

HR Focus. (2002). Crisis Survival Tactics for HR. Vol. 79, No. 4 (Apr 2002), pp.13-15.

McCarthy, C. (2008). Don’t let disasters proliferate: Business Insurance. Vol. 42, No. 24 (Jun

2008), pp. 9-10.

Pearson, C. and Judith A. Clair. (1998). Reframing Crisis Management: The Academy of

Management Review, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Jan 1998), pp. 59-76.

Toner-Fung, A. (2006). Communicating Under Stress. Retrieved from:

http://www.annetonerfung.com/sef/page/id/11.html?

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