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UTS Business School MANAGEMENT MPO 21129 ASSIGNMENT COVER – INDIVIDUAL Student Name: Kareem Sakr

Student No: 12924357

Student Email: [email protected]

Date Submitted: 8/6/2019

Tutor: John Yu

Tutorial Day & Time: Tuesday 12pm

Essay Word Count: 1400

Reflection Word Count: 292

Essay question: MANAGING COMMUNICATIONS: Critically evaluate the communication response of an organisation in crisis. (Bushfires). (Grammarly and Aca used).

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST (please read, tick and sign) Final essay structure and content ☒ Essay has introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion ☒ Large blocks of text have been broken up into paragraphs, with one key idea per paragraph ☒ All statements of fact have been referenced ☒ Minimal use of direct quotes – ideas should be paraphrased in your own words. ☒ ‘Managing organisational practices’ topic and case study organisation have been discussed in introduction

Format ☒ Times new roman font 12 point ☒ Double-line spacing ☒ Margins: 2.54 cm ☒ Left-justified text ☒ Numbered pages, bottom right-hand corner

Referencing ☒ Number of academic journal articles in reference list : 12 ☒ Number of other sources in reference list: 4 ☒ All direct quotes have page numbers in their in-text reference ☒ All references in text have been included in the final reference list ☒ Final reference list is in alphabetical order by author

Attached ☒ Writing reflection account is attached ☒ Supporting evidence for writing reflection is attached ☒ Writing analysis tool(s): Acawriter & Grammarly ☒ Turnitin similarity index (from draft): 6 % I have carefully read, understood, and taken account of all the requirements and guidelines for assessment and referencing in the subject outline. I affirm that this assignment is my own work, that it has not been previously submitted for assessment, that all material which is quoted is accurately indicated as such, and that I have acknowledged all sources used fully and accurately according to the requirements. I am fully aware that failure to comply with these requirements is a form of cheating and could result in resubmission, loss of marks, failure and/or disciplinary action. Signature:

Date: 8/6/2019

By: Kareem Sakr 12924357

During times of public crises, the social contract between the government and its citizens is put under a microscope. Crisis communication management is key in whether or not the government will be able to appease to its people during a period of such plight. There are two different dimensions to crisis communication management: such as operational/strategic and resilience/reputation. Governments must use these dimensions to develop trust between it an d its people. Hence, depending on how such crises are handled and prepared for can also make or break the government’s reputation. The Australian government’s response to the bushfire disaster was a clear indication of incompetency and a lack of empathy to its people. Furthermore, it was a missed opportunity to demonstrate sound leadership, as such leadership would have provided a sense of security to everyday Australians. Similarly, if a plan of action were put forth and acted upon the public would have been more at ease and less blame would have been placed on the government knowing progress was being made.

In order to understand where the Australian government failed with the management of communication during the Bushfire crises, it is crucial to know the different dimensions of crisis communication. There are two distinct dimensions of crisis communication each have two different categories. There first dimension of which can be broken down in two categories of operational and strategic. Operational crisis communication is the process of distributing relevant information about the current state of the crisis in order to lay the groundwork of informed decision making on matters of high priority (Morgan, 2002). Operational information is concerned with the information being comprehensive, readily available and capturing the emotional reaction towards it (Heath, 2009). On the other hand, strategic information places

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more value on achieving an organization’s long-term goals which in the case of the ‘Black Summer’, was to control he fires and limit the amount homes destroyed and lives lost. Moreover, the second dimension relates to two aims of communication: maintaining reputation and instilling resilience. When aiming to maintain its reputation an organisation, or in this case a government, will be self-centred with its primary objective being to explain and promote its own image (Jaques, 2012). In contrast, instilling resistance aims to provide information that is critical for communities and individuals to survive in the event of a crisis. Generally, resilience should be understood as a process of bouncing back and adapting in situations of hardship (Smith & Fischbacher, 2009). Crisis communication based on these dimensions proves to be more effective according to research and literature. Finally, it was imperative for the Australian government to implement such dimensions, however, over the course of the disaster it was clear that there was a colossal mishandling of communication.

The mismanagement of communication for the bushfire disaster dates back to the ill preparation of the government even though warnings were given. Former NSW fire chief Greg Mullins who heads the Emergency leaders of climate action made several attempts to contact the PM on April 2019 in order to make it clear how unprecedented the upcoming bushfire season will be. Mullins attributed the fact of being a former fire chief in allowing him to speak with freedom on the bushfire’s link to climate change and the preparedness needed for it. Mullins’s request was referred to the minister for energy and emissions reduction, Angus Taylor, in July (Davies, 2020). On the 10th of September, Taylor responded and offered a date in October to meet in Sydney. Mullins was appalled by the lateness of the response, saying it was “unfortunate” that months went by to receive an invitation. “Considering the gravity of the situation, a national 2

response from the highest levels of the Australian government is required,” Mullins wrote. He later went on to request an urgent meeting with ministers involved with the handling of the bushfire disaster. However, he could see the writings on the wall that no such time will be given to him. Expressing his concern in November, he told ABC that he had been “fobbed off” by the prime minister and that Taylor was not the write person to meet with. Finally, on December 3rd a meeting was schedules for him with National Party Deputy Leader Littleproud and Taylor. After which Mullins said that “It was clear that there was never any intention by the PM to listen to us. We were treated with open contempt by the PM, who said he would deal with the current chiefs. ” Such a series of events emphasises just how poorly communication was being handled within government circles. It also sheds the prime minister in a negative light as it does not reflect good decision making or any implementation of the crisis communication dimensions (Davies, 2020).

As the bushfire disaster was transpiring, there were clear struggles of communication expressed by the prime minister. Many of his interactions and press conferences were a prime example of what not to do in a crisis situation. An untimely holiday proved to be disastrous for his reputation. As before Christmas the PM went to an undisclosed location for holiday, later revealed to be Hawaii. This was interpreted by Australians as a demonstration of a lack of empathy and a disregard of the sheer magnitude of the disaster. It also illustrated a lack of transparency which is crucial during crisis situations to establish trust. Such lack of empathy was further demonstrated with the prime minister’s visit to Bega Valley township of Cobargo in an attempt to show solidarity to a community very heavily affected by the bush fires. However, he was received with anger and hostile remarks from some locals by calling him an “idiot”. Similarly, when shaking the hands of young female resident of Cobargo, she stated, “’I’m only shaking your hand if you give more funding to our RFS (Rural Fire Service). So 3

many people have lost their homes.” He walked away. “We need more help”, she called after him (Leask, 2020). This interaction was followed by his remarks in a press conference on the 5th of January when he said that “blame doesn’t help anybody” and that “over-analysis” is “not a productive exercise” (The Economist, 2020). Such statements provided no comfort or resolution with those handling the losses of their homes and in some cases the losses of loved ones. When handling the interaction with the young woman, a better approach would have been to stand his ground and here what she has to say. Also, it would have been beneficial for his image and the resident’s reaction if he communicated his empathy by asking about her circumstances and engaging with her on a deeper level. After which he should have described how the federal government is handling this situation and reassuring her of the future plans, they have in place to avoid such damage s caused by bushfires again. Unfortunately, caused major media platforms to criticise him as he a demonstrated a sense of being out of touch with his citizens and what they are going through. Such a small interaction if handled differently could have restored his image and improved his reputation to the public, reducing the amount criticism received in process. Finally, such an action negatively affects trust and puts the leadership’s legitimacy in question (Boin, Mcconnell, Stern & Hart, 2020).

In conclusion, when managing communications during times of panic or crisis there two theories that stand out most prominently. One is ensuring that every message is as accurate as possible and the other is transparency (Potter, 2020). Unfortunately, those were not characteristics attributed to the handling of the bushfire disaster. As from the public’s view it was outrage over ill preparation. Moreover, implementation of the two dimensions of crisis communication management would have put the public more at ease and reduced some of the

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criticism put on the prime minister. Similarly, being more empathetic when interacting with the public would have done wonders for his reputation. However, his untimely holiday was a grave mistake which had has since apologised when he said that he deeply regrets “any offence caused to any of the many Australians affected by the terrible bushfires by my taking leave with family at this time” (Karp, 2020). Unfortunately, such an apology does not take from the immense mismanagement of communication during the bushfires. Finally, it is v ital for the Australian government to learn from such mismanagement and to be better prepared for the next bushfire season.

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REFLECTION When writing this essay, I ran into some issues regarding the structure, however, with the help of peers and the tutor I was able to structure in a way so that it flows well. The feedback received from the previous group essay stated that there were paragraphs that were too long. So, to combat this I separated each paragraph into two sections and indented them to clarify that it is a continuation of the paragraph rather than a new paragraph all together. Finally, I reviewed all the references to make sure that they are all in the Harvard style and that they were correctly cited in-text as well. Moreover, I used aca writing and grammarly in order to analyse my draft, at the time I had not completed a conclusion yet and did not have a clear vision for the essay. However, I did receive some decent feedback on the introduction and the first body paragraph. It showed some grammatical errors and some incoherency in my sentence construction. Overall, looking back I would have started this essay earlier in order to have a complete draft by the deadline. This would have allowed me to structure my thoughts better and be focused more on delivering on my argument rather focus on making it to the word count. Furthermore, it would have given me more time to read and review the essay and make sure it is up to a certain quality. Finally, in the future I will manage my time better in order to be able to approach the writing process in a relaxed manner without the pressure of handing it in time or making the word count and having the primary focus being writing a solid that demonstrates evidence for the argument I propose.

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Reference List BOIN, A., MCCONNELL, A., STERN, E. and HART, P., 2020. Leading In A Crisis: How To Successfully Communicate. Govtech.com. Viewed 31st May https://www.govtech.com/analysis/Leading-ina-Crisis-How-to-Successfully-Communicate.html

Davies, A., 2020. Australian Bushfires: How The Morrison Government Failed To Heed Warnings Of Catastrophe. [online] the Guardian. Available at: .

Heath, R. L., Jaesub, L., & Lan, N. (2009). Crisis and risk approaches to emergency management planning and communication: The role of similarity

Jaques, T., 2012. Crisis leadership: a view from the executive suite. Journal of Public Affairs, 12(4), pp.366-372.

Karp, P., 2020. Scott Morrison Apologises For Taking Holiday During Australia's Bushfire Crisis. [online] the Guardian. Available at: [Accessed 6 June 2020].

Leask, J., 2020. Crisis Communication And Leadership – Teachable Moments From The Australian Bushfires. [online] Croakey. Available at: https://croakey.org/crisis-communication-andleadership-teachable-moments-from-the-australian-bushfires/

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Leschke-Kahle, A., 2020. ‘What Employees Need To Hear From Leaders In Times Of Crisis.’ MIT Sloan Management Review. Viewed 31st May 2020 .

Mcdonald, J., 2020. ‘Australian Bushfires: A Government In Disarray.’ Viewed 21st May 2020 .

Morgan, M. G., Fischhoff, B., Bostrom, A., & Atman, C. J. (2002). Risk communication: A mental models approach. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Nichols, C., Hayden, S. and Trendler, C., 2020. ‘4 Behaviors That Help Leaders Manage A Crisis.’ Harvard Business Review. Viewed 30th May 2020 .

Olsson, E., 2014. Crisis Communication in Public Organisations: Dimensions of Crisis Communication Revisited. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 22(2), pp.113-125.

Potter, J., 2020. ‘How Should Leaders Communicate With Employees During Times Of Crisis?’ Forbes. Viewed 21st May 2020 .

Smee, B., Wahlquist, C., Davidson, H. and Henley, J., 2020. ‘Australia Bushfires: PM's Climate Stance Criticised

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Smith, D & Fischbacher , M . ( 2009 ) The changing nature of risk and risk management: The challenge of borders, uncertainty and resilience . Risk Management 11 (1): 1 – 12.

Tarabay, J., 2020. ‘Australia’S Leader Calls For Inquiry Into Government Response To Fires.’ Viewed 21st May 2020 .

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