Role of effective crisis communication by the government in managing the first wave Covid-19 pandemic - A study of Kerala government's success.

Abstract

Effective crisis communication is critical for successful crisis management. The current study is an attempt to unravel the public communication efforts of the Kerala government in its successful Covid‐19 crisis management efforts during the first wave of the pandemic. The findings of the study indicate that the government has successfully used pre‐crisis communication to inoculate the stakeholders, ‘steal thunder’, and bolster their crisis management capabilities. Effective crisis communication, by the government, has ensured proper information management, media management, right supportive action, and direct communication with stakeholders. Effective communication has also helped the government in garnering favourable constituent attribution, positive framing, positive affect in stakeholder, and enlist active stakeholder participation in crisis management; resulting in, effective crisis management and enhanced reputation for the government. The study unravels the best practices of the Kerala government, in public crisis communication, during the pre‐crisis and crisis stages of the first wave of the pandemic and proposes a Kerala model of crisis communication. The model can be used as a reference for future government communication efforts during a crisis across geographies.