Exploring and assessing issue communication – issue communication practices and consequences of issue response strategies for organizational reputation and legitimacy

Bibliographic Data

ID21696041
AuthorsSandra Jacobs (0000-0002-7547-1339, University of Amsterdam, corresponding author), Christine Liebrecht (0000-0002-6621-2212, Tilburg University)
Year2025
Volume29
Issue2
Pages258-273
Publication date2025-05-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Communication Management (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-254X • E-ISSN: 1478-0852
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/jcom-11-2023-0127
OpenAlexW4403431434
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited34

Purpose Although issue management has received ample attention, changes in the media landscape and increased societal scrutiny are currently challenging organizations’ communicative handling of issues. This raises the question of how communication professionals currently perceive and communicatively deal with issues, and what impact issue response strategies have when organizations are addressed regarding their involvement in an issue. Design/methodology/approach We explore issue communication perceptions and practices by communication professionals in two focus groups. A subsequent experimental study assesses the consequences of issue response strategies for corporate reputation and legitimacy and examines to what extent this relationship can be explained by skepticism while taking issue phase into account. Findings Although most issue communication practices (still) resemble earlier descriptions, the focus groups also indicate the importance of timing and medium of issue communication. The experiment shows that organizations are better off responding to an issue than not responding at all. Organizations should choose for an accommodative or adaptive response to positively impact reputation and legitimacy, and should be aware of the phase of an issue. Remarkably, these empirical differences only apply for a sustainability issue, not for a social issue. Originality/value The focus group study illuminates current issue monitoring and communication practices in today’s challenging media and societal landscape. The subsequent experiment enhances our understanding of a sub-field of issue communication: the communicative options of organizations when they are the addressed actor in issues

Business · Legitimacy · Organizational communication · Political science · Public relations · Reputation · Reputation management · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Public Relations and Crisis Communication · Social Media and Politics

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access