Responding to Crisis

Communication Guidelines for Shipping and Airline Industries in the Caribbean

Sunday, January 18, 2009

What is 'Crisis'?

Ogrizek M., Gullery J. M., Brooke H. K. & Brooke R. (1999) in their book cited Morin’s subtle statement that “Crisis means indecision. It is the moment when uncertainty looms at the same time as disruption” (p.4).

Ogrizek M., Gullery J. M., Brooke H. K. & Brooke R. (1999) further cited Lagadec’s working definition of crisis:

Crisis is a situation in which organizations are faced with critical problems, experience both sharp external pressure and bitter internal tensions and are then brutally and for an extended period thrust to centre stage and hurled one against the other…all in a society of mass communication, in other words, in direct contact with the certainty of being at the top of the news on radio and television and the press for a long time. (p. 14)

For the purpose of this study the most articulate definition of crisis was postulated by Coombs (1999) who summarized that crisis is an event that is an unpredictable, major threat that can have a negative effect on the organization, industry or stakeholders if handled improperly. Coombs (1999) further states that a crisis will create actual and potential negative outcomes to organizations, their stakeholders and the industries.