Context and Culture
Risk communication involves the interchange of details from specialists or reliable officials to the general public on the occasion of a scenario that puts society’s well-being at risk. On the other side, crisis communication involves a company sending details in an effort to save its product line or prestige (Juneja, 2015). Risk communication entails the dissemination of details to stakeholders, whereas crisis communication may incorporate parties who are not directly affected by the crisis. Risk communication frequently comes before crisis communication, which is used when public consciousness and risk communication fail, resulting in a crisis.
Travis Kalanick, the CEO of Uber, was a member of President Trump’s consultative committee. The hashtag #DeleteUber was created, and Kalanick stated that he would leave the chamber shortly afterward. In February, Uber continued to operate at JFK International Airport despite a cab strike protesting Trump’s immigration ban, resulting in a company crisis. Susan Fowler Rigetti, an ex-representative, accused the company of unacceptable conduct and gross HR violations. Early stakeholders expressed concerns about the fairness of the internal investigation and the company’s private assumption situation after Kalanick announced a quick investigation into the matter (Prater, 2017). A clip of Kalanick arguing with an Uber driver concerning a salary cut surfaced days after the incident. “I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up,” Kalanick said on Uber’s website, but the damage had already been done for some Uber customers, and the clip had gone public (Prater, 2017). Uber’s organizational crisis in the media was devastating; they didn’t have a strategy and didn’t have a moment to recover from one crisis to the other. The two public remarks were insufficient; the two were identified without a strategy, assessment, or public reaction using the hashtag #DeleteUber. Nothing was written down, and there was no rehearsal. Surprisingly, they only organized declarations. Thus, the organization did not follow the five steps of planning crisis communication.
References
Meg Prater. (2017, April 19). Crisis management examples: Learn from these five brands. Brandfolder.
Prachi Juneja. (2015). Crisis communication – Meaning, need, and its process. Management Study Guide – Courses for Students, Professionals & Faculty Members. https://www.managementstudyguide.com/crisis-communication.htm
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