ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses two overall perspectives and visualize what they mean for our understanding and knowledge of crises. It also discusses these two perspectives from a research point of view, and then gives examples of how these perspectives are reflected in practice. The research on public relations has traditionally been grounded in a functionalist perspective with an emphasis on rationality, control and predictability. In line with a functionalist perspective, much of the traditional research has focused on finding generalizable results that can help organizations become more effective in their crisis management. The wishes of practitioners that researchers identify “best practices” can also be seen as an expression of a belief in generalizable, prescriptive knowledge. The narrow perspective is also related to the view of crises as a result of external forces, something that suddenly comes from outside, requiring immediate response and management vis-a-vis external groups and stakeholders.
