Recalling Toyota’s Crisis: Utilizing the Discourse of Renewal

Abstract

Crisis communication is a growing line of research for schol- ars to pursue. Seeger, Sellnow, and Ulmer (2010) explained, that the boundaries of crisis communication “are expanding because of the increasing frequency of crisis events” (p. 496). One type of crisis that appears to be happening more often is the lingering crisis. This type of crisis reoccurs or is not quickly resolved and is increasing in frequency (Seeger, Sellnow, & Ul- mer. 2010). Toyota has faced a lingering crisis through a series of safety recalls, corresponding media reports, and increased involvement by external agencies (e.g., government, regulatory agencies, and watchdog groups). In this study, the discourse of renewal is applied to Toyota’s most recent organizational crisis. The discourse of renewal is a rhetorical response that illumi- nates the opportunities associated with the crisis and empha- sizes the future.