Final stage development of the Integrated Crisis Mapping (ICM) Model in crisis communication: The myth of low engagement in crisis
Abstract
Extending current theories in crisis communication, the authors have developed a more systemicapproach to understanding the role of emotions. The Integrated Crisis Mapping (ICM) model isbased on a public-based, emotion-driven perspective where different crises are mapped on twocontinua, the organization’s engagement in the crisis and primary public’s coping strategy. Thisfinal-stage testing, representing the sixth in the series, found that even though organizations neednot be highly engaged in crises relating to human resource, transport failure and security issues,they were galvanized to engage in action-based stance by situational factors like external threats.The fact that the publics experience a diversity of emotions ranging from anxiety, sadness toanger could mean that organizations could not afford to be in a position of low engagement.Perhaps low organization engagement is a myth that needs to be dispelled. Where people’semotions are at stake, there is the constant need to be seen to engage and connect with them. Thefindings, while still very much exploratory, suggest theoretical rigor in the model, with room forfurther refinements to generate what Yin (2003) termed “analytic generalization” (p. 33) for theICM model.