Digging Deeper: Crisis Management in the Coal Industry

This study explores crisis management/communication practices within the coal industry through the lens of high reliability organization (HRO) concepts and sensemaking theory. In-depth interviews with industry executives and an analysis of an emergency procedures manual were used to provide an exploratory examination of the status of crisis management within this industry, a context in which crisis management/communication may be viewed as an opportunity to improve existing negative perceptions or generate more favorable attitudes among stakeholders. Findings suggest that although companies place great emphasis on the technical response to a crisis, the lack of crisis communication components in overall planning strategies prevents some companies from being able to adequately respond to a crisis situation.

[1]  J. Massey,et al.  Managing Organizational Legitimacy: Communication Strategies for Organizations in Crisis , 2001 .

[2]  Matthew W. Seeger,et al.  Best Practices in Crisis Communication: An Expert Panel Process , 2006 .

[3]  Bolanle A. Olaniran,et al.  Expanding the crisis planning function: Introducing elements of risk communication to crisis communication practice , 1998 .

[4]  Beverly A. Sauer.  The rhetoric of risk : technical documentation in hazardous environments , 2004 .

[5]  Christine M. Pearson,et al.  Reframing Crisis Management , 1998 .

[6]  K. Weick.  ENACTED SENSEMAKING IN CRISIS SITUATIONS[1] , 1988 .

[7]  Anselm L. Strauss,et al.  Basics of Qualitative research : techniques and , 2008 .

[8]  Robert L. Heath,et al.  Best Practices in Crisis Communication: Evolution of Practice through Research , 2006 .

[9]  J. Horsley,et al.  Disaster Communication: Lessons from Indonesia , 2008 .

[10]  Jon White,et al.  Strategic Communications Management: Making Public Relations Work , 1994 .

[11]  V. Dijk,et al.  Opinions and ideologies in the press , 1997 .

[12]  Lois A. Boynton,et al.  Reliability in chaos: crisis communication in state emergency management agencies , 2006 .

[13]  J. Horsley,et al.  Toward a Synthesis Model for Crisis Communication in the Public Sector , 2002 .

[14]  R. Heath,et al.  Types of Knowledge as Predictors of Company Support: The Role of Information in Risk Communication , 1996 .

[15]  M. Shumate,et al.  Validating the High Reliability Organization Perception Scale , 2006 .

[16]  Michael J. Salvo,et al.  The Rhetoric of Risk: Technical Documentation in Hazardous Environments , 2005 .

[17]  J. Penrose.  The role of perception in crisis planning , 2000 .

[18]  R. Ulmer,et al.  Consistent Questions of Ambiguity in Organizational Crisis Communication: Jack in the Box as a Case Study , 2000 .

[19]  Karl E. Weick,et al.  Managing the unexpected: Assuring high performance in an age of complexity. , 2001 .

[20]  Barbara M. Miller,et al.  Community Stakeholder Responses to Advocacy Advertising , 2009 .

[21]  Donald Fishman,et al.  ValuJet flight 592: Crisis communication theory blended and extended , 1999 .

[22]  Steven J. Venette.  Special Section Introduction: Best Practices in Risk and Crisis Communication , 2006 .

[23]  Kathleen A. Martinelli,et al.  Integrating Public Relations and Legal Responses During a Crisis: The Case of Odwalla Inc. , 1998 .

[24]  Anselm L. Strauss,et al.  Basics of qualitative research : techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory , 1998 .

[25]  Matthew W. Seeger,et al.  Communication and Organizational Crisis , 2003 .