The Influence Of Culture On Organizational Crisis Communication And Stakeholder Perception Individualistic And Collectivistic Cultures In Comparison

Seminar paper from the year 2018 in the subject Communications - Intercultural Communication, grade: 1,0, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Institut für Publizistik), language: English, abstract: Volkswagen emissions scandal, Germanwings Flight 9525, Samsung’s exploding batteries – corporate crises are becoming more and more common in today’s unpredictable environment. In the course of globalization, an increasing number of multinational organizations is operating in an international setting. Thus, the likelihood and potential impact of a corporate crisis rises. At the same time, the international potential of a crisis is aggravated by the dissemination of information in near real-time due to the Internet. Especially negative information spreads with a range and speed that increases an organization’s vulnerability to crises. As a result, the demand and importance of crisis communication is leaping. Due to the more complex and international surroundings of crisis communication, culture as a contextual factor in crisis communication plays a role of growing importance. In different cultures, different crisis responses by the organizations are expected because stakeholders perceive and react to messages in different ways dependent upon their culture. The probably most typical distinction of cultures is between collectivistic and individualistic societies. In the past, crisis communication research has been given too little attention to cultural contexts. Crisis communication research and theories almost exclusively focused on individualistic Western contexts. However, the growing relevance of culture in crisis communication is getting more and more evident in research. For this reason, the question of the cultural influences of individualistic and collectivistic societies on organization’s crisis communication strategies as well as the stakeholders’ perception of and responses to the crisis messages in different cultural settings is discussed in the present work. To answer this question, first of all an overview of the theory of crisis communication is given, with reference to the definition and the main crisis communication theories and strategies. Secondly, the term culture is paid attention to, with a focus on the dimension of individualistic versus collectivistic cultures as an influencing factor on crisis communication. Subsequently, the current findings of the influence of individualism and collectivism on organizations’ crisis communication strategies and on the perception of stakeholders are reflected. Concluding, the results are discussed in the overall setting, limitations are shown and implications for future research are given.

The Handbook of International Crisis Communication Research articulates a broader understanding of crisis communication, discussing the theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of domestic and transnational crises, featuring the work of global scholars from a range of sub-disciplines and related fields. Provides the first integrative international perspective on crisis communication Articulates a broader understanding of crisis communication, which includes work from scholars in journalism, public relations, audience research, psychology, political science, sociology, economics, anthropology, and international communication Explores the topic from cross-national and cross-cultural crisis communication approaches Includes research and scholars from countries around the world and representing all regions Discusses a broad range of crisis types, such as war, terrorism, natural disasters, pandemia, and organizational crises

Crises come in many shapes and sizes, including media blunders, social media activism, extortion, product tampering, security issues, natural disasters, accidents, and negligence – just to name a few. For organizations, crises are pervasive, challenging, and catastrophic, as well as opportunities for organizations to thrive and emerge stronger. Despite the proliferation of research and books related to crisis communication, the voice that is often lost is that of the stakeholder. Yet, as both a public relations and management function, stakeholders are central to the success and failure of organizations responding to and managing crises in a cross-platform and global environment. This core textbook provides a comprehensive and research-driven introduction to crisis communication, critical factors influencing crisis response, and what we know about predicting stakeholder responses to crises. Incorporated into each chapter are global case studies, ethical challenges, and practitioner considerations. Online resources include an extensive set of multimedia materials ranging from podcast mini-lectures to in-class exercises, and simulation-based activities for skills development (https://audralawson.com/resources/crisis-communication-managing-stakeholder-relationships/). Demonstrating the connection between theory, decision-making, and strategy development in a crisis context, this is a vital text for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, and Strategic Management.

This timely volume offers an international and cross-disciplinary examination of risk and crisis communication theory and practice in Europe. Placing the rapidly developing field of risk and crisis communication within the context of a Europe in flux – experiencing the amplification of the refugee crisis, Brexit, increasing terrorist attacks, a heightened awareness of the climate crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic – a cross-continental team of experts explore these developments from a theoretical and practical standpoint. Drawing connections between culture, digital technology, identity, public health, politics, and industry, the analysis offers a multitude of perspectives from across the continent and provides ways ahead for the field of risk and crisis communication. This exciting and innovative volume will interest scholars and students of risk and crisis communication, media studies, political communication, public relations, political studies, and international relations. Chapter 5 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license

A collection of case studies from nonwestern countries that offers an analysis of the significant role culture plays in crisis communication Culture and Crisis Communication presents an examination of how politics, culture, religion, and other social issues affect crisis communication and management in nonwestern countries. From intense human tragedy to the follies of the rich, the chapters examine how companies, organizations, news outlets, health organizations, technical experts, politicians, and local communities communicate in crisis situations. Taking a wider view than a single country’s perspective, the text contains a cross-cultural and cross-country approach. In addition, the case studies offer valuable lessons that organizations that wish to operate or are operating in those cultures can adopt in preparing and managing crises. The book highlights recent crisis events such as Syria’s civil war, missing Malaysia Flight MH370, andJapan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. Each of the case studies examines how culture impacts communication and responses to crises. Authoritative, insightful, and instructive, this important resource: Analyzes how nonwestern cultures respond to crises Covers the role of culture in crisis communication in recent news events Includes contributions from 18 international authors who provide insight on nonwestern culture and crisis communication Written for communication professionals, academics, and students, Culture and Crisis Communication presents an insightful introduction to the topic of culture and crisis communication and then delves into illustrative case studies that explore intra-cultural and trans-boundary crisis communication.

'The publication of this second edition of Culture's Consequences marks an important moment in the field of cross-cultural studies . Hofstede's framework for understanding national differences has been one of the most influential and widely used frameworks in cross-cultural business studies, in the past ten years' - Australian Journal of Management

Human beings are adapted for group living. Groups have a wide range of adaptive functions for individuals, including both material benefits of mutual aid and collective action, and subjective psychological benefits of affiliation and social identity. Recent development of cultural psychology, however, has uncovered that culture plays crucial roles in group processes: patterns of group behavior and underlying psychological processes are shaped within specific cultural contexts, and cultures emerge in group-based interactions. Culture and Group Processes, the inaugural volume of the Frontiers of Culture and Psychology series, is the first edited book on this rapidly emerging research topic. The eleven chapters included in this volume, all authored by distinguished scientists in the field, reveal the role of culture in group perceptions, social identity, group dynamics, identity negotiation, teamwork, intergroup relations, and intergroup communication, as well as the joint effect of cultural and group processes in interpersonal trust and creativity.

A collection of case studies from nonwestern countries that offers an analysis of the significant role culture plays in crisis communication Culture and Crisis Communication presents an examination of how politics, culture, religion, and other social issues affect crisis communication and management in nonwestern countries. From intense human tragedy to the follies of the rich, the chapters examine how companies, organizations, news outlets, health organizations, technical experts, politicians, and local communities communicate in crisis situations. Taking a wider view than a single country’s perspective, the text contains a cross-cultural and cross-country approach. In addition, the case studies offer valuable lessons that organizations that wish to operate or are operating in those cultures can adopt in preparing and managing crises. The book highlights recent crisis events such as Syria’s civil war, missing Malaysia Flight MH370, andJapan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. Each of the case studies examines how culture impacts communication and responses to crises. Authoritative, insightful, and instructive, this important resource: Analyzes how nonwestern cultures respond to crises Covers the role of culture in crisis communication in recent news events Includes contributions from 18 international authors who provide insight on nonwestern culture and crisis communication Written for communication professionals, academics, and students, Culture and Crisis Communication presents an insightful introduction to the topic of culture and crisis communication and then delves into illustrative case studies that explore intra-cultural and trans-boundary crisis communication.