Identity Crisis

Linking crisis management, corporate reputation, identity, and brand…and revisiting the reputation

of management communication

How do discipline and sub-disciplines fit together?

Management Communication Corporate Communication Organizational Communication

Rhetoric Composition Crisis Management Organizational Communication Interpersonal

Communication Strategy

Traditionally, Management Communication Organizes Field

Mananagement Communication

Corporate communication Interpersonal Commuication Cross Cultural Communication

Could corporate communication frame other topics in field?

If defined as function as well as all of the multiple activities involving communication in an organization and including the internal

management of communication.

Corporate identity, brand, reputation, have fluid definitions.

Gens: family or kind, just as there are kinds of corporate identities, there are kinds of crisis

Identity and crisis are seen as a continuum

Corporate crisis often perceived as media event

Mitroff and Pauchant: a crisis an organizations basic assumptions, “its subjective sense of self, its

exstistential core.” –in Otto Lerbinger

Kinds of crisis: event versus industry, for example:

• Environmental• Product• Mechanical• Ethical

• Consumer• Financial• Airline• Technology

Kind of industry raises horizon of expectation for stakeholder…how do

stakeholders experience the organization?

• Anderson---trust credibility• Coke—gm, globalization• Value Jet--”the critter”• Pentium--infallibility

Highest brand recognition a two-edged sword

• Xerox• Polaroid• Burberry

Paul’s sub-functions—only the paranoid survive

• IR—Worldcom• Internal—going postal• Community—Bophal• Suppliers—Ford Firestone

Vision, image, culture—Hatch and Schultz

culture

imagevision

The changing role of identity

• Perceptions of the company in the future will be far more diverse…and far more interesting…the question will be “Do I like this company?” Does this company behave responsibly?”

• Identity is being adopted as a management resource by organizations involved in behavioral change who are finding that such changes can work better and faster when they are supported by visual change. ---Wally Olins

How will the identity of management communication be

perceived?• As part of corporate communication function?• As inter-disciplinary skill?• As key constituent in nurturing organizational

reputation and identity?