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Communication During Organizational Crisis
Communication During Organizational Crisis
24 April 2020
COMMUNICATION DURING ORGANIZATIONAL CRISIS 2
ABSTRACT
Crisis communication is one of the most crucial pillars of crisis management as providing
misinformation and communicated with no background research, facts, figures, and future
methodology may result in paranoia. This research talks about Andrew Cuomo’s crisis
communication, response, and his leadership skills during COVID-19. Andrew Cuomo is the 56 th
Governor of the New York City in the USA, which is being hit very hard with the COVID-19
confusion and panic, which further leads to deterioration of the situation. The report interprets
the crisis communication methodology that should be adopted to adequately respond during any
type of crisis. It explains the importance of managerial communication during a crisis and about
the importance of effective communication in a crisis to avoid and overcome fear and paranoia.
The report also looks at the literature available regarding the topic, and discusses different crises
management theories and approaches that are available in the modern world. It also highlights
the importance of social media in the context of effective crises management. The unfolding of
situation has been discussed in detail where Andrew Cuomo was faced with an inevitable crises
situation. It further adds how Andrew Cuomo has remained on the front for days and weeks
without showing any tiresome and exhausted looks, and despite florid language, he provides
speaking persons, and modern-day organizational leaders. At the end, the report provides
valuable insights, and recommendations related with how to best manage crises situation through
effective communication, and concludes how the New York governor has remained effective in
INTRODUCTION
A crisis is referred to as all internal or external events that pose acute threats to living
beings, for the environment, for assets, or the reputation of a company or institution. Crisis
agencies, and other organizations in the context of crises. Crisis communication includes all
measures for communicative avoidance, early detection, coping, and follow-up of crises.
Effective crisis communication is very crucial for proactive prevention along with early detection
of crises, preparation for crises, acute communicative management of crises, and communicative
capable to minimize the observable or hypothetically expected loss of lives, finances, assets,
reputation, and trust due to the crisis among relevant stakeholders and community, and therefore,
to maximize the scope for achieving the shared goals of the organization/community under the
given conditions. Also, crisis communication aims to effectively disseminate information and
While keeping Andrew Cuomo’s crisis communication during COVID-19 in focus; this
report explains the crisis communication methodology that should be adapted to respond in any
type of crisis. The research asserts the significance of managerial communication during a crisis
and about the importance of effective communication in crisis to overcome fear and paranoia.
For instance, in New York City with a population of more than 8 million people, the
health officials are right now struggling beyond their means to treat more and more Coronavirus
patients. The state by now has 262,268 confirmed patients of the ongoing epidemic and 20,354
deaths reported. The number of people infected is getting doubled with every single day passing,
COMMUNICATION DURING ORGANIZATIONAL CRISIS 4
and the worst could still be expected if people continue to protest against social distancing and
lockdowns as mentioned by the New York State’s Governor – Andrew Cuomo. Andrew Cuomo
is receiving generous praise for his tremendous use of crisis communication skills.
Although there is nothing new that Cuomo is doing, his crisis communication skills are
giving serious goals to the current and forthcoming leaders because he knows what he is saying,
he knows how to take responsibility, he knows how to empathize, he knows how to make people
listen, he knows how to be clear and consistent, and most importantly, he knows how to respond
to the crisis. The world has seen great leaders begin to fade because of their inept response to the
crisis, but this time, we are seeing Andrew Cuomo becoming one of the best crisis leaders
emerging, and for sure his efforts will be remembered as significant lessons in Crisis Leadership.
LITERATURE REVIEW
This section discusses the theories and crisis management models that are used by
Andrew Cuomo to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. The concept of crisis originally comes from
the medical and health field to describe and manage critical conditions in terms of pandemic risk,
emerging infectious diseases, or the health care system. Apparently, anticipating and preparing
seems necessary to react better in the event of a crisis. The risk manager must, therefore, analyze,
assess, and prioritize the main risks, as well as, possible sequences of causes and consequences,
The risk analysis process begins with the identification of the main objectives of the
entity that conducts it. Risk is relative. It is theoretically only serious if it jeopardizes the
The next step is to assess a couple of things - the probability of occurrence / potential
severity. The risk manager will seek to counter the risks whose severity coupled with the
probability is the highest. For this, a separate evaluation of the two quantities will be
Once the risks have been classified, the risk manager will look for the levers for action to
counter them. This research will be conducted by analyzing the various cause and effect
relationships that can lead to the realization of the risk. This requires having means and
prevention.
While depending on the type of generating event, and the impacts and consequences it
creates; a more or less serious crisis may occur, and the resolution of which requires a mode
event affects a whole range of activities, crisis management is generally accompanied by the
event you have to face, crisis management has certain permanent characteristics.
a. Diagnosis, Action, And Decision: It requires a capacity for diagnosis, good reaction, and
therefore, decision. The situation is above all, and an emergency. It is crucial to quickly
perceive the gravity of the situation, the priorities involved, and the decisions best suited
to the circumstances.
This is to allow the actions and optimize the reaction time communicating. The term is
b. Forecast: It is the definition and location of the danger. There are unforeseeable dangers,
but preparing to manage a danger is the way to accelerate responses and resilience in the
implements similar tools, mechanisms, and reflexes and in part identical to those that
would be necessary for the event of a nuclear war type crisis, or bioterrorist attack
(Asghar, 2020).
reduce the severity and impact of the event (pandemic) when and if it occurs. The
protective measures (lockdowns, social distancing) are deployed, but they are unimportant
until the risk has materialized as they are designed to limit the impact and collateral
damage.
dimensions of the 21st century. Apparently, with the advent of Web 2.0, as well as, large and
communicating have emerged. Social networks and solidarity have always contributed to the
resolution or mitigation of serious crises. With social media networks, crisis management can be
quicker, more effective, and faster, down-up (by communicating the warning over internet users
and mobile phone users). Social media networks are also turning out to be very effective due to
their usability in crisis to communicate on the crisis and its evolution (in a more or less objective
and transparent way depending on the case). They allow multimedia, lateral, and heuristic
concerns addressed. Crisis communication has entered a new era since the advent of the internet
and in particular social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Consumers, activists, and citizens
now have accessible media that is always available to express their dissatisfaction and mobilize
traditional media must be remembered, which is also using the web as a source of
strengthens access to information, the reactivity requirements, and modifies the transaction
terms. We speak in this context of social media for emergency management. At the same time,
the crisis is probably the future of communication. This is where more and more communication
professionals consider, whose relation to time and work in crisis mode constitute the main
During the entire COVID-19 crisis, Andrew Cuomo has been found at the front
addressing every possible concern of the public considering the ongoing situation. He not only
provided the public with facts and figures but most importantly gave hope to the public, which is
much needed in situations like these. Andrew Cuomo and his media team is making the best
possible use of digital media to disseminate valid information and public warning. The governor
is using his official Twitter handle and Television as the primary medium to disseminate
information to the public and to communicate. However, his recorded video message and
On March 1st, the New York State confirmed its first case of positive Coronavirus patient
and by April 23, 2020, there are more than 262,268 confirmed patients with 20,354 reported
deaths. During the entire situation, one man who has been criticized the most by his own
President Donald Trump but did not fall back from his commitment and untiring efforts is the
New York’s State Governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo remained at the front line responding to the
crisis in the best of his capacity, and has been recognized as the modern crisis leader.
New York State Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo was the initiator of a large state hardship
During the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the governor is found very present at the front of
the public media briefings while calming and motivating his people. Where some are even
predicting the national fate for him due to his incredible crisis leadership, what’s earning Cuomo
all these applaud and praises is his effective crisis leadership and communication skills.
On March 16, New York State closes all of its schools and universities, bars and restaurants, then
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cinemas and performance halls. Many other school districts, including those in Los Angeles,
Although New York is a city apart in terms of population density; Cuomo’s decision to
close schools and establish containment came later than in other states where the virus was less
widespread. Ohio, for example, closed its public schools three days before New York, although
there have only been five confirmed cases. And California’s containment order was also issued
three days before that of the Big Apple. Although Andrew Cuomo decided for the lockdown a
little late, still he is at his best. Cuomo was still an excellent communicator and was up to the
situation.
With his stern appearance, Andrew Cuomo has remained on the front for days and weeks
without showing any tiresome and exhausted looks. He always looks prepared, composed, and
calm. As soon as New York becomes the epicenter of the pandemic, the governor brought all the
possible capacities to work to make sure to minimize the loss of lives and the impact of the
disease. Press briefings of Cuomo have been live broadcasted at the television and watched by
millions of people across the United States. Americans from other states also waited for Cuomo's
Analysis, Result & Crisis Communication Lessons Learnt from Governor Cuomo
Communication and public relation experts are repeatedly pointing Andrew Cuomo’s
response to the COVID-19 crisis as a major example of how leaders should be responding and
communicating to the public during a crisis. Cuomo’s press conferences have been analyzed by
experts to draw some insightful crisis communication lessons. Although the governor lacks
eloquent public speaking abilities and flowery language, his calm and composed communication
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style helps the public calm down and hoping for the best with the strong belief that the
information conveyed to them is accurate and precise. Cuomo also shows that florid language is
also not a must for effective leadership. Some of the core crisis communication lessons learned
One thing that is very much noticeable in Cuomo’s crisis communication is that he
always begins his conferences with facts and figures. In a recent conference, he stated “New
York State had 53,000 ICU beds, and health experts predicted the state would need 140,000 over
the next 14-21 days. Also, he said, New York State was short roughly 30,000 ventilators to treat
acute cases of COVID-19”. Apparently, providing accurate numbers first give an impact that the
crisis leader is very much aware of the situation and he is doing efforts to curb the effect. It helps
people to get the precise idea about the severity of the situation and also help them compare the
results. Another important thing is that people want the core facts and not any sugar-coated
reassurances especially when the situations are too serious like this.
Making communication personal helps people instantly connect and respond to the
speaker. Cuomo, at times, mentioned an example of his sister who was worried about getting the
COVID-19 test done when none was available in the state and also mentioned his concerns for
the health of his mother. This helps the public easily relate with the leader with a perception that
he can truly understand their problem, and he is just like them. This also gives hope to the people
because they get inspired thinking that if the leader can make it up despite all the issues why
His confidence in the numbers with constant disclosure of the facts, and his forthrightness
reflect him as a transparent and trustworthy leader. Leaders, during the crisis, often believe that
disclosing facts would create panic, and often argue with a public representative saying that they
are wrong with the facts and he doesn’t trust them. But remember if a leader does not trust
people, he will never be trusted by people. Cuomo took full responsibility and demonstrated the
courage to be blamed for anything wrong while showing tremendous confidence in his decisions.
While announcing lockdown and quarantine, he said, “Lockdown and quarantines will cause
He always discusses the problem. For instance, in his recent press conference, he talked
He then described the measures that need to be done. For instance, in the given case, he
said that effective coordinating steps need to be undertaken to overcome the problem.
Then he provides the outcome i.e. by outlining the steps that he and others are required to
Cuomo always gives the reference of past success. For instance, he quoted the example of
World War I, when companies like Ford, were given the order to produce things that were much
needed in war times. This not only helped keep the economy running but also gets the country to
win the war. He always quotes examples like this, because telling the success or failure stories
valuable lessons from Andrew Cuomo’s crisis communication style. The following are the
Fancy or flowery language, long lists of promises and heightened claims are not
necessary at all. All people who want to listen during the crisis are facts.
Therefore, one must always have the latest, trustable facts and numbers to tell the public
in order to help them assess and quantify the situation. Don’t quote false figures if you
lack information, rather apologize and agree to communicate them as soon you get your
hands on them.
Stay calm, composed, and focused, because your audience is listening to you to get hope
and inspiration.
Match the tone of the time, and never talk with over-enthusiastic, over-happy, over-
over-happy can divert people’s attention and they may tend to miss important information
for the future. The same can happen when you sound too sad. It may also create panic. A
Follow a methodical approach; this will help people comprehend information more
easily.
Show empathy to help people immediately relate and respond (Ulmer, Sellnow & Seeger,
2017).
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The state governor Andrew Cuomo adopted all the essentials of crisis communication
effectively, and this is the reason that despite thousands of death and ongoing pandemic crisis,
people have hopes for brighter days ahead when this COVID-19 calamity will be over.
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References
Asghar. F., (2020). This Is Cuomo’s Moment—And It Offers Essential Leadership Lessons.
Gallo. C., (2020). New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Just Gave a Valuable Lesson in Crisis
Ulmer, R. R., Sellnow, T. L., & Seeger, M. W. (2017). Effective crisis communication: Moving