The Role of Dialogic Crisis Communication Strategy in Repairing Organizational Reputation: A Moderated Mediation Model

This study empirically examines the differences in the impact of dialogic and monologic communication strategies on organizational reputation during a crisis, challenging the conventional belief that dialogic strategies are always superior. Through two online experiments, this study explored the effects of dialogic communication strategies on organizational reputation and the mechanisms and boundary conditions that influence these outcomes. The findings revealed that dialogic communication strategies were generally more effective than monologic ones in enhancing organizational reputation in times of crisis. However, the effectiveness of these strategies is contingent upon the type of crisis. Furthermore, stakeholder empathy toward the organization plays a mediating role in how dialogic communication influences reputation. The main contribution of this study is to provide a deeper understanding of how an organization’s use of social media to convey “dialogic messages” during a crisis can affect stakeholders' perceptions of the organization. The results will help crisis managers to choose crisis response strategies more effectively.