The
business world, used to concrete targets and accurate
measurement, has trouble addressing irrational and persistent
rumors. Companies, especially large ones, are not inherently
transparent. They do not readily make available their
inner operations to public scrutiny, often for sound
commercial reasons. At the same time, they deeply influence
the daily lives of individual citizens. This gap between
knowledge and impact is filled on occasion by rumors
and suspicions.
The
rumor always fills `any' communications vacuum; `the
vacuum' is a major rationale for crisis in communications,
it always appears to be more interesting and more attractive
than the plain truth, and invites the inventive process
of developing speculation and allegations. It is a playful
or downright malicious byproduct of conspiracy theorizing.
Rumors need not reach the entire public to have an impact;
they need only reach a company's key audiences. Rumors
can vanish as swiftly as they arise.
Any
organization of ten or more people will always have
a series of rumors circulating. Thus monitoring and
pickup systems are required, especially when a company
is facing or handling a crisis situation. Under these
circumstances, rumor can exacerbate and contribute to
already serious problems. Accept that rumors always
generate interest and are often more attractive than
the facts or truth. Silence or a vacuum caused by
lack of communication will always be filled by rumors
and speculations. For a company, these issues also form
an obstacle not only to achieve a high return rate,
but also to perceptions that it is behaving responsibly
and honestly when one of its products places consumers
at risk. |
