Does Planning and Practice Make Perfect? A Study of Communication Culture, Autonomy and PR Practitioners’ Confidence in Handling Crises

Abstract

The study builds on research by Marra (1998) who examined crisis communication case studies and found that organizations with crisis plans do not always manage crises well. To assess Marra’s (1998) concept of communication culture, this study looked at organizations’ use of two-way symmetrical communication (Grunig, 1992); PR professionals’ crisis confidence and communication autonomy; and the presence of a crisis plan. An Internet survey of members of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) yielded 251 valid responses. Findings revealed that PR professionals who reported they were part of the dominant coalition exhibited more confidence in their organization’s ability, their own ability and their CEO’s ability to handle a crisis. PR professionals who viewed their organizations higher on their use of two-way symmetrical communication (communication culture) displayed more confidence in their organization’s and CEO’s abilities to handle a crisis but not their own. Additionally, PR practitioners who have a crisis plan for the organization and who perceive they are part of the dominant coalition have more confidence in their organization's ability, their own ability, and their CEO’s ability to handle a crisis than those who only had a crisis plan. Research also revealed that PR practitioners who have a crisis plan for the organization and who perceive their organizations higher in their use of two-way symmetrical communication exhibited more confidence in their organization's ability and their CEO’s ability to handle a crisis than those who had only a crisis plan; however, they did not display more confidence in their own ability to handle a crisis.