Crisis management consulting: An emerging field of study

Abstract

Organizations often look for external crisis management expertise among (crisis) communication and management agencies when they need assistance before or during a crisis. Crisis consultants publish books to promote their work and the importance of crisis management competencies, whereas research publications within crisis consulting are scarce. This chapter seeks to present and reflect upon crisis consulting theory and practice. It introduces to the difference between consulting and advising, and between management consulting and crisis management consulting. Furthermore, the chapter introduces to the few research studies that have been conducted within crisis consulting; it examines the perceptions and activities of crisis consulting as presented by crisis consulting practitioners on their agency websites, in popular crisis management books, and during interviews, and it briefly discusses the future of crisis consulting.