Making Sense of COVID 19: Varied Approaches to Internal Crisis Communication in Kuwait

Abstract

Two-way communication and transparency are two elements of the strategic approach to internal communications. This study examined the relationship between these elements and their influence on employees’ sense-making and sense-giving in Kuwait during the COVID 19 pandemic. The research used a mixed-method approach incorporating interviews, survey data, and a review of organizational communications. The sample included six Kuwaiti organizations representing the private, government, and nonprofit sectors. The statistical software package SPSS was used to calculate ratios and rates, confidence intervals, tests of statistical difference (Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests), the Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regressions. The study found a positive association between the strategic approaches of two-way communication and transparency and employees’ sense-making and sense-giving behaviors. Gender, nationality, and years of employment also influenced communication and transparency. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of internal crisis communication in a Kuwaiti context. This study’s findings shed light on the importance of employees’ internal communications as organizations address and engage during a crisis. Received: 12 January 2024 / Accepted: xx April 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024