‘READINESS as A New Framework for Crisis Management: Academic-Industry Integrated Expert Insights from Practitioners and Scholars

Yan Jin, Brittany Shivers (Ph.D. student), Yijing Wang, Timothy Coombs and Toni van der Meer (2024). "'READINESS as A New Framework for Crisis Management: Academic-Industry Integrated Expert Insights from Practitioners and Scholars". Journal of Communication Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-02-2024-0034

Abstract: The study provides an initial empirical examination of Jin and colleagues’ (2024) new READINESS model through the expert opinions of crisis communication academics and practitioners. An exploratory quantitative online survey of 30 experts in crisis communication was conducted. Key findings include the dual nature of crisis READINESS as both a process and an outcome, resilience as both a process and an outcome, and preparedness as an antecedent to READINESS. A key distinction between READINESS and preparedness emerged with the former conceived of as a mindset and the latter conceived of as physical tools, training, and planning. These findings lead to understanding indicators of crisis READINESS and developing crisis READINESS measurement tools which can equip organizations to more effectively manage crises.