All the communications theories that are mentioned in the article from the authors might work in different crisis and they do not assure success. Is the "no comment" communication crisis theory a good one for BP case? If not what is a situation that can be used successfully?

Original post:

A leader who wishes to improve his/her organization's communications function should demonstrate empathy; be decisive, quick, accurate and consistent in providing communication; take ownership for any mistakes made and apologize; give clear messaging on what is being done; and actively engage with key stakeholders to understand their needs and ensure that they are being met (DuBrin, 2015; Lussier & Achua, 2016; Kotler et al., 2016).

What BP did do well was to: (1) place the CEO in front of the media, as ultimately, he had responsibility for managing the crisis; (2) quickly launch an extensive PR campaign apologizing. However, there was criticism of the focus and spend on this campaign; and (3) utilize its links with community organizations that had been established prior to the disaster.

BP did not have a crisis management communication plan in place (De Wolf & Mejri, 2013). Thus, it was reactive rather than being proactive in its response to the crisis. This is even though the company had a long history of safety issues (De Wolf & Mejri, 2013). As a large organization, operating in a high-risk sector it should have: (1) had a crisis communication plan in place beforehand (Fink, 1986); (2) engaged widely with critical stakeholders to express empathy and to understand their needs; (3) admitted the scale of the problem from the outset, and genuinely and quickly apologized; (4) clearly outlined what they were doing to rectify the issue; (5) designated a team of spokespersons including engineers, and representatives from its marketing/PR teams, to give holistic responses, rather than merely having the CEO as the sole spokesperson; and (6) in engaging with the media and other key stakeholders such as the public, been more transparent in its actions.

In summary, BP did do some things correctly,such as using the CEO as the chief spokesperson, quickly launching a PR campaign, and engaging with partner community NGOs. However, it should have had a crisis management plan in place. It should also have engaged widely, admitted the scale of the issue from the outset, apologized, and stated what was being done in a transparent manner.

Trish

References:

De Wolf, D., & Mejri, M. (2013). Crisis communication failures: The BP case study.International Journal of Advances in Management and Economics, 2,2, 48 - 56.

DuBrin, A. (2015).Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skill. South-Western College Publishers.

Fink, S. (1986).Crisis management planning for the inevitable. American Management Association.

Kotler, P., Keller, K., Brady, M., Goodman, M., Hansen, T. (2016).Marketing management. 3rded. Pearson.

Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2016).Leadership: Theory, application, and skills development. Cengage Learning.