Organizational Crisis Communication: A Multivocal Approach

When a crisis breaks out, it’s not always just the organization that reacts - the news media, customers, employees, trade associations, politicians, activist groups, and PR experts may also respond.

This book offers a new and original perspective on crisis communication based on the theory of the Rhetorical Arena and the so-called multivocal approach.  According to this approach, we gain a more dynamic and complex understanding of organizational crises if we focus not only on the communication produced by the organization but also take into account the many other voices who start communicating when a crisis breaks out.

It provides:

• An in-depth overview of the five key dimensions of organizational crises, crisis management and crisis communication
• A comprehensive introduction to the theory of the Rhetorical Arena and the multivocal approach to crisis communication, including some of the most important voices inside the arena
• A series of important international case studies and case examples in each chapter.

Suitable for students studying crisis communication modules on corporate communication, public relations, and management and organization studies courses.

Finn Frandsen (mag. art., Aarhus University) is Professor Emeritus at the Department of Business Communication, Aarhus School of Business and Social Sciences (Aarhus BSS), Aarhus University (Denmark).  His research interests include crisis management and crisis communication, environmental communication, public communication, stakeholder theory, and the institutionalization of strategic communication in private and public organizations. Together with Winni Johansen, he is the originator of Rhetorical Arena Theory and the multivocal approach to crisis communication.

 

His research has been published in international journals, handbooks and encyclopedias, such as  Corporate Communications: An International Journal, International Journal of Strategic Communication, Management Communication Quarterly, Public Relations Inquiry, Public Relations Review, Scandinavian Journal of Public Management and The Handbook of Crisis Communication, Encyclopedia of Public Relations, The Routledge Handbook of Strategic Communication, and Handbook of International Crisis Communication Research.

 

He is regional editor (Europe) of Corporate Communications: An International Journal and member of the advisory board of the European Communication Monitor. He has served as visiting professor at highly ranked universities and business schools in Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, Italy and Senegal. He has also consulted with organizations in the private and public sector.

Winni Johansen (PhD, Aarhus School of Business) is Professor of Corporate Communication and Crisis Management at the Department of Business Communication, Aarhus School of Business and Social Sciences (Aarhus BSS), Aarhus University (Denmark).

 

Her research interests include crisis management and crisis communication, environmental communication, public communication, social media, and the institutionalization of strategic communication in private and public organizations. Together with Finn Frandsen, she is the originator of Rhetorical Arena Theory and the multivocal approach to crisis communication.

Her research has been published in international journals, handbooks and encyclopedias, such as Corporate Communications: An International Journal, International Journal of Strategic Communication, Management Communication Quarterly, Public Relations Inquiry, Public Relations Review, Scandinavian Journal of Public Management and The Handbook of Crisis Communication, Encyclopedia of Public Relations, The Routledge Handbook of Strategic Communication, and Handbook of International Crisis Communication Research. She is co-editor of International Encyclopedia of Strategic Communication I-III.

 

She has served as visiting professor at highly ranked universities and business schools in Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, Italy and Senegal. She has also consulted with organizations in the private and public sector.