The world is watching Malaysia Airlines: lessons in crisis management

Feeding into speculation – symptomatic of an information vacuum – are questions over two passengers who boarded on stolen passports. How could this happen when air safety and security was supposed to be tightened following the 9/11 hijacks?

As time goes by, more questions will be asked, expectations for answers will be increased and tension will be heightened between anxious relatives and the airline. Anger will overtake grief as people seek to attribute responsibility. The blame game is likely to be overwhelming.

So, the airline must focus on two key areas. The first is to work closely with the search efforts – being seen to do something – as more countries, including Australia, join in.

Secondly, the airline must ensure it meets the communication and emotional needs of the relatives. This will be challenging. Communication must take a people-first empathetic approach from the perspective of the families.

The Singapore Airlines crash in Taiwan in 2000 is a good example of how this can be done. The airline provided counselling services at the destination airport for relatives waiting for the aircraft. It also offered a ‘buddy’ system to support relatives.

Knowns and unknowns

There are some basic ‘rules’ the airline should follow:

• Ensure as much as possible that family and friends are informed about developments before the media is informed. Keep family and friends together and have airline representatives on hand to offer support.
• Be consistent with information. The basic tenant of speaking with ‘one voice’ is even more critical. Conflicting information adds to speculation and destroys trust and credibility.
• Anticipate the questions and concerns of family and friends. Although answers may not be known, it is important to acknowledge the impact of uncertainty.
• Address speculation quickly, particularly if it is circulating on social media. The danger is rumours can take control of the communications agenda.

With such uncertainty, Malaysia Airlines could adopt the communication model used by New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in the days following 9/11.

This is what we know. This is what we don’t know. This is what we are doing. This is what you can do.

People are more supportive of an organisation that admits ‘unknowns’ in a crisis, at least in the early stages. Therefore, the ‘this is what we don’t know’ approach builds transparency and trust. It removes doubts that there may be something to hide.

But for Malaysia Airlines, people will be patient only for so long. The airline industry will be watching to see if the airline has what it takes to emerge unscathed from this disaster, and what crisis management lessons there are to be learnt for the future.

Hamish McLean is a lecturer at the School of Humanities, Griffith University.

This article first appeared at The Conversation.