A network under stress: using embeddedness to understand uncertainty management and resilience in campus emergencies |
| |
| Authors: | Jessica L Ford Jacob S Ford Seth S Frei Andrew Pilny Brenda L Berkelaar |
| |
| Institution: | 1. School of Communication Studies, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA;2. Ohio University College of Business, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA;3. Department of Communication Studies, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA;4. Department of Communication Studies, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA;5. Department of Communication Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA |
| |
| Abstract: | Persistent school shootings have generated ongoing pressure to assess and enhance crisis communication effectiveness via strategies such as resilience-building and post-crisis restoration. A network perspective offers a robust, multilevel approach for examining complex information flows among community, campus, and individual actors affected by crises. Drawing on relational and structural embeddedness and Uncertainty Management Theory, we offer nine propositions that help explain structural and relational changes in a network over time. Although theoretically driven, these propositions are primarily functional, offering practical implications for safety officials and administrators trying to understand, prepare for, and respond to crises. Thus, we suggest measures and recommendations to improve information flow, uncertainty management, and resilience before, during, and after a crisis. |
| |
| Keywords: | Crisis communication uncertainty management embeddedness social networks communication campus crises information-seeking |
|
|
