Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the types of information that were shared by the institution, and faculty/staff responses to the information shared, with the goal of providing recommendations for other institutions facing concurrent crises.

Design/methodology/approach

This mixed-methods case study examines a public university's experiences managing the Covid-19 pandemic crisis while simultaneously navigating financial challenges that had been building over time. Using data from university-wide mediated communications and a survey of on-campus stakeholders during the Covid-19 pandemic and university retrenchment process, this paper explores institutional communication, stakeholder response to organizational communication and faculty/staff reactions to information in the midst of concurrent crises.

Findings

The study found that the university used instructing and advising information within its messages from its top administrator but fell short of incorporating empathy for its stakeholders in its initial responses.

Research limitations/implications

Using the situational crisis communication theory (Coombs, 2019), which recommends the use of an ethical base response to crises, implications are provided for other organizations facing concurrent crises during the Covid-19 pandemic, to also incorporate empathy in their messages to stakeholders whose livelihoods are being affected, across multiple platforms.

Originality/value

Weathering the Covid-19 pandemic and long-term financial pitfalls have proven to be a disruptive phenomenon for higher education institutions. This research expands understanding of institutional communication and stakeholder reactions in a higher education institution facing both the Covid-19 crisis and a retrenchment.

Peer review

The peer-review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-09-2020-0415.

中文翻译：

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大流行中的完美风暴：在机构并发危机中使用信息

目的

本研究的目的是检查机构共享的信息类型，以及教职员工对共享信息的反应，目的是为面临并发危机的其他机构提供建议。

设计/方法/方法

这个混合方法案例研究考察了一所公立大学在应对 Covid-19 大流行危机的同时应对随着时间的推移而产生的财务挑战的经验。在 Covid-19 大流行和大学裁员过程中，使用来自大学范围内的中介沟通的数据和对校园利益相关者的调查，本文探讨了机构沟通、利益相关者对组织沟通的反应以及教职员工在并发过程中对信息的反应危机。

调查结果

该研究发现，该大学在其高层管理人员的信息中使用了指导和建议信息，但在最初的回应中没有体现对其利益相关者的同情。

研究限制/影响

使用情境危机沟通理论（Coombs，2019 年），该理论建议对危机采取伦理基础的反应，为在 Covid-19 大流行期间面临并发危机的其他组织提供影响，并将同理心融入他们向利益相关者发送的信息中生计正在受到多个平台的影响。

原创性/价值

经受住 Covid-19 大流行和长期的财务陷阱已被证明是高等教育机构的破坏性现象。这项研究扩大了对面临 Covid-19 危机和裁员的高等教育机构中机构沟通和利益相关者反应的理解。

同行评审

本文的同行评审历史可从以下网址获得：https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-09-2020-0415。