Crisis Management in a Complex World

Managers, business owners, public relations practitioners, and others grapple daily with issues that have the potential to radically redefine the reputation of a person, company, or industry. They confront a fundamental question about contemporary crisis management: to what extent is it possible to control events and stakeholder responses to them, in order to contain escalating crises or safeguard an organization's reputation? In Crisis Management in a Complex World, authors Dawn Gilpin and Priscilla Murphy address this question head-on. Operating from a strong theoretical orientation, this book marks a sharp departure from other crisis management texts, which focus on nuts-and-bolts procedures and information distribution in an effort to simplify the turbulent reality of a crisis situation. Instead, this book pairs real-world examples from across the globe with theory-based analysis to show why simplification often fails to alleviate crises, and can even intensify them. Gilpin and Murphy propose a new, complexity-based approach to organizational learning that can allow organizations to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

This volume addresses both scholars and high-level practitioners of public relations, organizational communication, and strategic management. Strongly cross-disciplinary, the book draws on theories from communication, the physical sciences, and business. It invites controversy and ultimately aims to change the way people conceptualize and prepare for crises.

Dawn R. Gilpin has spent more than 15 years working in Italy in various areas of organizational communication and public relations, including crisis management. She has a master's degree in journalism and public relations from the University of Memphis, and a Ph.D. in mass media and communication from Temple University. She is currently an assistant professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.

Priscilla J. Murphy is a professor of communication at Temple University. She publishes in the areas of strategic media relations, activist groups, and reputation. She has presented nationally concerning issues management strategies of the tobacco industry, CEO leadership during crises, and executive reputations in the media.