Running Head: REPORT ON CRISIS COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT

Report on Crisis Communication Management

Thomas Edison State University

Crisis Communication Management

REPORT ON CRISIS COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT

Introduction

Business organizations of the 21st century operate in an environment where they

have to engage in dealing with communication management crisis/challenges. There are a

number of challenges in communication management due to the fact changing business

environments. The advent of new communication technologies including the internet has

affected the way companies manage communications. The focus of this essay would be to

analyze some of the key challenges/crisis that face organizations with regard to

managerial communications, crisis communications and the need to create a working

relationship between frontline leadership, and organizational performance. Addressing

these challenges is critical in pursuit of creating functional and working communications

within an organization. There is need for companies to take on key approaches with

regard to addressing the identified gaps to make managerial communication to serve its

purposes.

Analysis and Discussion

The challenges regarding managerial communications, crisis communications and

the need to create a working relationship between frontline leadership, and organizational

performance; requires that managers to take key counter measures. This is by the fact that

without addressing these, organization communications will develop key gaps that will

make it difficult for companies to effectively function. As noted, managerial

communication is at the heart of effective organizations. Through having the right

strategies in managerial communications, it becomes possible to improve the functioning

of operations management. Ultimately, this leads to a well knit organization where the

different departments, as well as, managers and employees communicate with efficiency.
REPORT ON CRISIS COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT

This has been found to lead to improved productivity at the different levels of the

organization (Hynes, 2016). Putting the right structures that deal with the identified crisis

will go a long and positive way towards ensuring that the organization has an

uninterrupted flow of information, and is characterized by strong relationships that

establishes trust.

Crisis communication management also calls for managers to take on key changes

to work environment. In dealing with crisis in an organization, managers have to be

cognizant of the environmental factors that are behind the crisis at hand. Organizations

run their operations within specific environments and the effectiveness in running these

processes would demand for this factor to be put into consideration. It is critical for

managers to ensure that the work environment they create for their workers is

characterized with employees who are empowered. Managerial communication is a key

conduit in establishing a culture of mutual respect and high productivity. These two are

key contributors to organizational success (Gonzalez and Alfonso, 2010).

The process of managing crisis communications calls for managers in the

organization to look at three major issues. These are the challenge of managerial

listening, conflict management, and performance feedback/review. First, crisis

communications management requires a keen look at managerial listening challenges

among the top leadership. All organizations have objectives to achieve and this is

captured through their vision. This vision must be passed down from the top leadership to

other tactical leaders at the organization. However, this can only happen through

developing managerial listening where managers are able to engage in active listening to

the communication that is passed from top leadership. When there is effective managerial
REPORT ON CRISIS COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT

listening, it becomes possible for the key information to be passed down to all other

members. This process would make the operations management run at optimum.

Secondly, on the issue of conflict management; there is need for managers to act

with haste when conflicts occur among people. Conflicts are inherent in organizations

with people. This is because people come from different backgrounds and orientations

and may interpret same messages differently. Appreciation that employees are different

in the way they perceive messages is important when it comes to handling

communications crisis (Jones, 2000). Conflicts tend to increase in organizations where

communications are structured in ways to assume that all people are the same and would

perceive the said message the same. It is on this basis that managers must develop

audience specific messages, which have the audience in mind. Lastly, the challenge of

lack of connection between communications and performance feedback/review is one

that also needs to be worked on. There is a high likelihood to have managerial

communication challenges in workplace environments where performance feedbacks are

not well communicated to staff. Managerial communication can be enhanced through

effective feedback delivery.

Organizational situation/Context

In order to effectively deal with crisis communications management, it is also

important for the management to forecast future challenges that their organizations are

likely to face. One of the challenges brought out in the article, “Organizational

Principles to Manage Crisis in an Online World” is that of the fast growing online world,

and its impact on business communications. According to the article, the growth of the

internet technology has revolutionalised crisis communications management. This is

REPORT ON CRISIS COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT

because the internet has become a platform where traditional management

communication crises have come and spread virally.

The article “Organizational Principles to Manage Crisis in an Online World”

further makes it clear that the growth and admissibility of the internet in running

communications in organizations has brought about potentially new scenarios to plan for.

Unlike in the past where communications was face to face, new technology has defined

new scenarios to plan for. Additionally, the article makes clear that the growth in the use

of internet technology today has brought about new forms of power configuration in the

communication process (Gonzalez and Alfonso, 2010). For instance, the internet has

given employees powers to communicate to the organization and to the world. Thus, so

much regulation has to be applied when it comes to the admissibility of messages

communicated through the internet. In essence, it becomes clear that the advent and

admission of the internet in managing communications in organization has resulted in the

development of new shifts in the way modern day organizations should monitor, plan and

respond to crisis situations (Journal 2010)

Summary

Succinctly, it is clear from the report that crisis in communications management is

a reality that can never be ignored, especially in the new wave where communications

has greatly transformed from being manual into digital. The advent and admission of

internet technology in the running of managerial communications has redefined new

challenges to crisis communications management. This means that new measures and

strategies must be embraced with regard to embracing specific managerial

REPORT ON CRISIS COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT

communication methods though cultivating an environment of high productivity. From

the report, various recommendations have been developed.

4Solutions/Recommendations

Effective recommendation to deal with crisis communication management would

need to encompass the four specific conflict resolution styles of avoiding,

accommodating, forcing, and compromising. The most supported recommendation for

addressing conflict resolution in communication management is the win-win strategy,

which is basically making certain compromises. It is important to note that each party

aggrieved in the communications process have emotions, so managing conflict with

emotional intelligence is relevant in terms of reaching positive outcomes (Hynes 2016).

As regards conflicts over the digital media, new approaches would have to be developed

due to the complexities involved in internet communications.

REPORT ON CRISIS COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT

References

Gonzalez-H. and Alfonso, S. (2010). Organizational Principles to Manage Crisis in an

Online World, Suzanne Organization Development Journal, 28, 1; ProQuest

Central pg. 97

Hynes, E. M. (2016). Managerial communication: strategies and applications – Sixth

edition.

Jones, T. (2000). " Emotional communication in conflict: essence and impact ", in Eadie,

W. and Nelson, P. (EdsGrand),The Language of Conflict and Resolution , Sage

Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 81 - 104 .

Journal of Organizational Culture (2010). Communications and Conflict, Managerial

Communication the Link between Frontline Leadership and Organizational

Performance, Volume 14, no.1.