Increasing the Impact of Thought Leadership in Crisis Communication

I argue that the field of crisis communication must move from a positive to a normative science to improve the practice of crisis communication. Through a positive science approach, our field has described and categorized how organizations currently communicate during a crisis. The evidence is clear that the majority of organizations struggle to communicate effectively during these events. As a result, we are reaching our limits for a positive science approach to crisis communication. Future thought leadership should focus on producing and testing normative theories that provide clear guidance to crisis communicators and society about how to communicate effectively. This transition in thought leadership will allow us to make a significant positive impact on society. This article concludes with an interdisciplinary research agenda for moving from a positive to a normative science in our thought leadership.