Organizational Communication-the Importance of Communication Strategy in Times of Crisis for the Organization

Abstract

Crisis is a circumstance in which the organization can not function normally, hindering the achievement of its objectives and threatening survival. When a crisis occurs, there is uncertainty, stress, panic and confusion among management, employees, and the public. This makes it difficult to make the right decisions, while the organization is involved in a crisis. Organization management requires skills to predict the possible crises and weaknesses of the organization, planning strategies to respond to potential crises scenarios, skills to identify early crises, and provide rapid response capacity. When a crisis emerges, strategic communication becomes a key crisis management function. The way an organization communicates or does not communicate with the target audience during the crisis will have a decisive effect on the outcome of efforts to overcome the crisis. Every crisis is different, so it is difficult to predict anything that can happen in an organization. Crisis-based communication strategies are essential for any organization in order to be prepared for taking measures in the event of a crisis and thus preventing the formation of negative publicity and other negative consequences for the organization.