Managing university crises through psychological distance and information strategies
Abstract Higher education institutions experiencing organizational misconduct frequently need to communicate with the public to reduce reputation damage and diminishing supportive intentions. Whether such information should be abstract or concrete is still being debated. This study investigates the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07307-9 |
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| author | Xiaoyu Jiang Shougui Pang Syafila Kamarudin Shuhui Li Kai Wang |
| author_facet | Xiaoyu Jiang Shougui Pang Syafila Kamarudin Shuhui Li Kai Wang |
| author_sort | Xiaoyu Jiang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Higher education institutions experiencing organizational misconduct frequently need to communicate with the public to reduce reputation damage and diminishing supportive intentions. Whether such information should be abstract or concrete is still being debated. This study investigates the effectiveness of organizational information strategy through an online factorial experiment, grounded in the principles of situational crisis communication theory and construal-level theory. The findings indicate that concretely developed information strategies are more effective when the organization is viewed as psychologically close to (rather than distant from) the public. Similarly, abstractly articulated information strategies work better when the organization is viewed as psychologically near. Finally, research reveals that information strategy exerts a greater influence on organizational reputation and supportive intention than temporal and spatial distance. By including information construal levels and psychological distance in crisis response strategies, this study provides helpful guidance for universities to manage crises efficiently. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-98085a9c55e74bb4a5d4d34dd943d4e2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-98085a9c55e74bb4a5d4d34dd943d4e22025-08-20T03:03:37ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-07307-9Managing university crises through psychological distance and information strategiesXiaoyu Jiang0Shougui Pang1Syafila Kamarudin2Shuhui Li3Kai Wang4School of Humanities, Sichuan University of Science and EngineeringFaculty of Modern Languages and Communication, University Putra MalaysiaInstitute for Social Science Studies, Putra Infoport, University Putra MalaysiaFaculty of Modern Languages and Communication, University Putra MalaysiaFaculty of Modern Languages and Communication, University Putra MalaysiaAbstract Higher education institutions experiencing organizational misconduct frequently need to communicate with the public to reduce reputation damage and diminishing supportive intentions. Whether such information should be abstract or concrete is still being debated. This study investigates the effectiveness of organizational information strategy through an online factorial experiment, grounded in the principles of situational crisis communication theory and construal-level theory. The findings indicate that concretely developed information strategies are more effective when the organization is viewed as psychologically close to (rather than distant from) the public. Similarly, abstractly articulated information strategies work better when the organization is viewed as psychologically near. Finally, research reveals that information strategy exerts a greater influence on organizational reputation and supportive intention than temporal and spatial distance. By including information construal levels and psychological distance in crisis response strategies, this study provides helpful guidance for universities to manage crises efficiently.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07307-9SCCTCLTInformation strategyTemporal distanceSpatial distance |
| spellingShingle | Xiaoyu Jiang Shougui Pang Syafila Kamarudin Shuhui Li Kai Wang Managing university crises through psychological distance and information strategies Scientific Reports SCCT CLT Information strategy Temporal distance Spatial distance |
| title | Managing university crises through psychological distance and information strategies |
| title_full | Managing university crises through psychological distance and information strategies |
| title_fullStr | Managing university crises through psychological distance and information strategies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Managing university crises through psychological distance and information strategies |
| title_short | Managing university crises through psychological distance and information strategies |
| title_sort | managing university crises through psychological distance and information strategies |
| topic | SCCT CLT Information strategy Temporal distance Spatial distance |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07307-9 |
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