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GRANT

journal

ISSN 1805-062X, 1805-0638 (online), ETTN 072-11-00002-09-4

EUROPEAN GRANT PROJECTS | RESULTS | RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT | SCIENCE

Crisis communication in organizations

Lucia Spálová
Alena Müller

Veronika Szabóová

Drážovská cesta 4, 949 74 Nitra, Slovakia; lspalova@ukf.sk

Department of Mass Media Communication and Advertisement, Faculty of Arts, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra;

Drážovská cesta 4, 949 74 Nitra, Slovakia; alena.muller@ukf.sk

Department of Mass Media Communication and Advertisement, Faculty of Arts, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra;

Drážovská cesta 4, 949 74 Nitra, Slovakia; veronika.szaboova@ukf.sk

Department of Mass Media Communication and Advertisement, Faculty of Arts, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra;

Grant: APVV-18-0257
Name of the Grant: Incubator of Multimedia Digital Production: Reciprocal Transfer of Science, Art and Creative Industries
Subject: AJ - Písemnictví, mas–media, audiovize

Abstract The paper is focused on the topic of crisis communication,
primarily describing the theory of crisis communication and types of
crises. Gro is a link between cultural influences on communication
and conflict resolution, which again brings us back to crisis
communication. Communication is a manifestation of culture - it is
this statement that forms the impetus for this scientific contribution.

Key words Crisis communication, communication, cultural
dimensions, conflict theory, Coombs SCCT model

CRISIS COMMUNICATION AND TYPES OF
CRISES

Crisis communication has evolved in parallel with the perception of
risk in human society, but it has experienced rapid development

only in modern times. According to Vymětal (2009), crisis
communication is the exchange of information between the
competent leaders, organizations, the media, individuals or groups
prior to the occurrence of an emergency, during its course and in the
period after the emergency. The most important aspects include the
content and form: the content is understood as the underlying
situation of extraordinary character, the form is understand as the
specific tools used in communication. However, it is necessary to
take into account the possible pitfalls, the issue of confidence-
building, and the questions of perception of risk. To prevent the
communication crises, an organization develops its crisis
communication strategy, which must be built on the principles of
openness, credibility, competence and acceptance of different
opinions (Miženková et al., 2010). Crisis communication in an
organization can currently be seen as a subset of media
communication. It is a way for the concerned the public to satisfy

their need for information (Bednář – Jahodová, 2011), but it is also
an integral part of one of the tools of marketing communication –
public relations. This component is characteristic of the formation of
public opinion and provision of information to the public, including
through the media. When contacting the media – particularly in the
long term – it is not appropriate to withhold negative information,
but rather to apply the chosen strategy of crisis communication.

Crisis communication can be divided into external and internal
according to the environment in which it takes place, but also
according to the duration length. Public relations, be it with the
customers, business partners, or the media, are mainly affected by
external crisis communication, the proper management of which
affects the overall image of the organization in the eyes of the
general public. The communication crises, which differ in size and
duration, can be divided into:



immediate crises – the most feared ones, they occur so quickly
and unexpectedly that there is little or no time for analysis and
planning, for example, a plane crash, product poisoning, death
of a key manager, earthquake, bomb threat or firearm assault
by former employee etc. Sudden crises require a prior approval
of senior management with the general plan to respond to such
a crisis to avoid confusion, conflicts and delays.



emerging crises – provide more time for analysis and planning,
but they can break out suddenly after a longer boiling period.
For example, this concerns the staff discontent and poor
morale, sexual harassment in the workplace, substance abuse in
the workplace etc. The key to mastering the emerging crises is
to convince the top management to take corrective action
before the crisis reaches a critical stage.



sustained crises – persisting for months or even years despite
all management efforts. The rumors or speculations are brought
to the media or spread by the word of mouth, and cannot be
rebutted by means of public relations.

The crisis communication in an organization is mainly concerned
with optimizing the communication processes in crisis management
not only with respect to the inner company climate but also the
effects of the national and corporate cultures. With the advent of
globalization, it is taken for granted that the national environment is
intertwined by foreign companies and organizations with a different
business and social culture, which can result in an internal or
external conflict. The focus here is the functionality of the hierarchy
of international organizations and the related level of their agility. In
the recent years, agility has become a frequently discussed concept
in organizational contexts. For this reason, technological innovation
should go hand in hand with social innovation. The innovative

Vol. 9, Issue 1