A conceptual framework for social-media crisis communication to build stakeholder relationships in Ghana

Abstract

People are spending more time on social media, which means that public-relations professionals need to pay more attention to managing the reputation of their organisations. However, many Ghanaian organisations are not leveraging the relationship-building opportunities afforded by social media when managing crisis communication. It was put forward in this thesis that proactive strategies such as dialogic communication, relationship renewal and relationship enhancement can help public-relations practitioners in Ghana to achieve organisation–stakeholder objectives when managing crisis communication on social media. The main goal of this study was therefore to propose elements for a conceptual framework comprising crisis preparedness, dialogic communication, discourse of renewal and organisation–stakeholder communication that would be strategic in strengthening organisation–stakeholder relationships. In pursuit of this goal, the study answered four research questions, using an online survey and semi-structured in-depth interviews to empirically verify the proposed elements. The study gathered vital insights, first from the literature review; and second from public relations practitioners in Ghana who are responsible for social media communication in their organisations. On completion of empirical verification, the final elements of the proposed conceptual framework were founded on the fundamentals of social-media crisis communication preparedness, dialogic communication strategies for social-media interaction with stakeholders during a crisis; renewal strategies for mending relationships with stakeholders following a crisis; and on strengthening organisation-stakeholder relationships by means of social-media crisis communication. The proposed conceptual framework not only provides new insight into the field of communication, but also contributes to this field,specifically to public-relations as far as crisis management on social media is concerned.

Mense bestee al hoe meer tyd op sosiale media, wat beteken dat professionele mense in openbare betrekkinge meer aandag aan die bestuur van hulle organisasies se reputasies moet gee. Baie Ghanese organisasies benut egter nie die geleenthede wat sosiale media bied om verhoudings te bou wanneer krisiskommunikasie bestuur moet word nie. In hierdie proefskrif word aangevoer dat proaktiewe strategieë soos dialogiese kommunikasie, verhoudingsvernuwing en verhoudingsverbetering openbarebetrekkingepraktisyns in Ghana kan help om organisasie-belanghebberdoelwitte te bereik wanneer krisiskommunikasie op sosiale media bestuur word. Die belangrikste doelwit van hierdie studie was derhalwe om elemente vir ’n konseptuele raamwerk voor te stel, wat uit krisisgereedheid, dialogiese kommunikasie, gesprekvoering oor vernuwing en organisasie-belanghebberkommunikasie bestaan, en wat strategies sal wees om organisasie-belanghebberverhoudings te versterk. Ten einde hierdie doelwit na te streef, beantwoord die studie vier navorsingsvrae met behulp van ’n aanlyn ondersoek en semigestruktureerde, omvattende onderhoude om die voorgestelde elemente empiries te staaf. Die studie het noodsaaklike insigte bekom, aanvanklik met behulp van die literatuuroorsig; en daarna by openbarebetrekkingepraktisyns in Ghana, wat vir sosialemediakommunikasie in hulle organisasies verantwoordelik is. Na voltooiing van die empiriese verifiëring is die finale elemente van die voorgestelde konseptuele raamwerk op die beginsels van sosialemediakrisiskommunikasiegereedheid, logiesekommunikasiestrategieë vir sosialemediainteraksie met belanghebbers tydens ’n krisis; vernuwingstrategieë om verhoudings met belanghebbers na ’n krisis te herstel; en die verstewiging van organisasiebelanghebberverhoudings deur middel van sosialemediakrisiskommunikasie, gefundeer. Die voorgestelde konseptuele raamwerk bied nie net insig in die vakgebied kommunikasie nie, maar dra ook tot hierdie vakgebied by, in die besonder tot openbare betrekkinge wat betref krisisbestuur op sosiale media.

Batho ba šomiša nako ye ntši go dikgokagano tša leago, go rago gore ditsebi tša dikamanotša setšhaba di swanetše go hlokomela kudu go laola seriti sa mekgatlo ya tšona. Le ge go le bjalo, mekgatlo e mentši ya Ghana ga e diriše dibaka tša go aga kamano tšeo di neelwago ke dikgokagano tša leago ge e laola kgokagano ya mathata. Go boletšwe mo thesising ye gore maano a tlhohleletšo a bjalo ka kgokagano ya poledišano, mpshafatšo ya kamano le matlafatšo a kamano a ka thuša bašomi ba dikamano tša setšhaba ka Ghana go fihlelela maikemišetšo a mokgatlo le baamegi ge ba laola kgokagano ya mathata go dikgokagano tša leago. Ka gona nepišo ye kgolo ya nyakišišo ye e be e le go šišinya dielemente tša tlhako ya kgopolo yeo e akaretšago go itokišetša mathata, kgokagano ya poledišano, polelo ya mpshafatšo le kgokagano ya mokgatlo le baamegi yeo e tla bago ya maano go matlafatša dikamano tša mokgatlo le baamegi. Ka go fihlelela nepo ye, nyakišišo e arabile dipotšišo tše nne tša dinyakišišo, e šomiša tekolonyakišišo ka inthanete le dipoledišano tše di tseneletšego tša go se latele lenaneo la dipotšišo go netefatša ka kgonthe dielemente tše di šišintšwego. Dinyakišišo di kgobokeditše ditemogo tše bohlokwa, ya pele go tšwa go tshekatsheko ya dingwalo; le ya bobedi go tšwa go bašomi ba dikamano tša setšhaba ka Ghana bao ba nago le maikarabelo a kgokagano ya ditaba tša leago mekgatlong ya bona. Ge go phethwa netefatšo ya kgonthe, dikarolo tša mafelelo tša tlhako ya kgopolo ye e šišintšwego di theilwe godimo ga metheo ya go itokišetša kgokagano ya mathata a ditaba tša leago, maano a kgokagano ya poledišano ya tirišano ya ditaba tša leago le bakgathatema nakong ya mathata; maano a mpshafatšo a go lokiša dikamano le bakgathatema ka morago ga mathata; le ka go matlafatša dikamano tša mokgatlo le baamegi ka kgokagano ya mathata a ditaba tša leago.

Tlhako ya dikgopolo ye e šišintšwego ga e fe fela temogo ye mpsha ka ga lefapha la kgokagano, eupša gape e tsenya letsogo lefapheng le, kudukudu go dikamano tša setšhaba mabapi le taolo ya mathata go dikgokagano tša leago.