Readiness as a new framework for crisis management

Academic-industry integrated expert insights from practitioners and scholars

Bibliographic Data

ID21696069
AuthorsYan Jin (0000-0001-7749-7367, University of Georgia), Brittany N Shivers (0009-0007-4327-6823, University of Georgia), Yijing Wang (0000-0002-7886-8366, Erasmus University Rotterdam), W Timothy Coombs (0000-0002-3693-4388, Communications Research Centre Canada), T G L A Van Der Meer (0000-0002-7605-2021, Amsterdam University of the Arts)
Year2025
Volume29
Issue1
Pages1-16
Publication date2025-03-11
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Communication Management (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-254X • E-ISSN: 1478-0852
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/jcom-02-2024-0034
OpenAlexW4400100832
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited21

Purpose The study provides an initial empirical examination of Jin et al .’s (2024) new READINESS model through the expert opinions of crisis communication academics and practitioners. Through this examination, the goal is to understand crisis READINESS and how it relates to other key concepts in the crisis literature, such as preparedness and resilience. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory quantitative online survey of 30 experts in crisis communication was conducted. Our participant pool consisted of members from the Crisis Communication Think Tank, which is an established crisis thought leadership network (Jin, 2023). Data collection took place in November and December 2023. Findings Key findings include the dual nature of crisis READINESS as both a process and an outcome, resilience as both a process and an outcome, and preparedness as an antecedent to READINESS. A key distinction between READINESS and preparedness emerged with the former conceived of as a mindset and the latter conceived of as physical tools, training and planning. Originality/value Preparedness and resilience alone are not enough to effectively manage crises and risks, and given this, it is important to study READINESS as a concept beyond (yet connected to) preparedness and resilience. It is our hope that the findings can lead to understanding indicators of crisis READINESS and developing crisis READINESS measurement tools which can equip organizations to more effectively manage crises

Business · Crisis communication · Crisis management · Economics · Knowledge management · Management · Political science · Public relations · Computer Science · Disaster Management and Resilience · Public Relations and Crisis Communication · Team Dynamics and Performance · Marketing

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access