{"title":"Do Mixed Emotions Matter in a Crisis? The Impact of Expressing Sadness and Sympathy on Organizational Reputation and Forgiveness","authors":"James Ndone","doi":"10.1177/23294884221106999","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"This study seeks to advance the literature in emotional crisis communication by comparing the effects of single emotional message framing to mixed emotional message framing in organizational crisis on organizational reputation and forgiveness. Through an online four (emotional message framing: control vs. negative emotion [sadness] vs. positive emotion [sympathy] vs. mixed-valence emotions [both sadness + sympathy]) by two (crisis type: preventable vs. victim crisis) between-groups experiment, this study investigated the effects of mixed-valence emotions, where the CEO expressed both positive and negative discrete emotions ( N = 424). Additionally, the current study sought to test the mediating effects of perceived sincerity and empathy toward the CEO on the relationship between the crisis type and message framing on both organizational reputation and forgiveness. The findings show that, during a preventable crisis, expressing mixed emotions results in a more positive organizational reputation and organizational forgiveness than expressing single emotions (sadness or sympathy). Also, both empathy toward the CEO and perceived sincerity mediated the relationship between a preventable crisis and organizational reputation as well as forgiveness. Both practical and theoretical implications of this study are discussed.","PeriodicalId":45593,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Business Communication","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2022-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Business Communication","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884221106999","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study seeks to advance the literature in emotional crisis communication by comparing the effects of single emotional message framing to mixed emotional message framing in organizational crisis on organizational reputation and forgiveness. Through an online four (emotional message framing: control vs. negative emotion [sadness] vs. positive emotion [sympathy] vs. mixed-valence emotions [both sadness + sympathy]) by two (crisis type: preventable vs. victim crisis) between-groups experiment, this study investigated the effects of mixed-valence emotions, where the CEO expressed both positive and negative discrete emotions ( N = 424). Additionally, the current study sought to test the mediating effects of perceived sincerity and empathy toward the CEO on the relationship between the crisis type and message framing on both organizational reputation and forgiveness. The findings show that, during a preventable crisis, expressing mixed emotions results in a more positive organizational reputation and organizational forgiveness than expressing single emotions (sadness or sympathy). Also, both empathy toward the CEO and perceived sincerity mediated the relationship between a preventable crisis and organizational reputation as well as forgiveness. Both practical and theoretical implications of this study are discussed.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Business Communication (IJBC) publishes manuscripts that contribute to knowledge and theory of business communication as a distinct, multifaceted field approached through the administrative disciplines, the liberal arts, and the social sciences. Accordingly, IJBC seeks manuscripts that address all areas of business communication including but not limited to business composition/technical writing, information systems, international business communication, management communication, and organizational and corporate communication. In addition, IJBC welcomes submissions concerning the role of written, verbal, nonverbal and electronic communication in the creation, maintenance, and performance of profit and not for profit business.