Companies Fare Worse When the Press Exposes Their Problems Before They Do

Research on the benefits of self-disclosure.

by

and

Mario Pandelaere

by

and

Mario Pandelaere

August 22, 2016

When organizations first become aware of a major problem with a product or service, one with important consequences for consumers or the environment, they face a dilemma. Should they self-disclose the issue? Or should they let sleeping dogs lie?

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AC

An-Sofie Claeys is assistant professor in corporate communication at the Institute for Media Studies at KU Leuven (Belgium). Her research focuses on organizational crisis communication, including topics such as self-disclosure, non-verbal cues and empathy.
VC

Verolien Cauberghe is associate professor in persuasive communication at the Centre for Persuasive Communication at Ghent University (Belgium). She focuses her research on the effectiveness of persuasive messages in different contexts (advertising, corporate communication, social marketing).
MP

Mario Pandelaere is associate professor in marketing at Virginia Tech and professor in marketing at Ghent University (Belgium). His research focuses on persuasion, consumer decision-making and materialism. He serves on the editorial board of Journal of Consumer Research and as Senior Editor at the International Journal of Research in Marketing.

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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Crisis Management. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.

Learn how to manage uncertainty, dispel rumors, and help your team recover.

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Companies Fare Worse When the Press Exposes Their Problems Before They Do

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