An Examination of Organizational Crisis Communication Strategy

Abstract

This paper examines Michigan State University’s (MSU) official communications related to the Nassar sexual assault case. Because of the public nature and media centric focus of the Nassar case, this set of communications offers a rare opportunity to investigate the role of a smoldering organizational crisis communication strategy. This study contributes to the crisis communication strategy literature by using directed content analysis. Unlike previous crisis communication research, the current study uses data posted over a four-year period. Results indicated that over time, in spite of a variety of strategic communication tactics that the number of university donors decreased while student applications remained relatively stable. Using the results, an extended model of strategic crisis communication is presented to guide future research.