How to Manage Organizational Reputation when Under Attack: Learnings from the Child and Adult Protection Authorities

Kuenzler, Johanna; Stauffer, Bettina; Sager, Fritz (2022). How to Manage Organizational Reputation when Under Attack: Learnings from the Child and Adult Protection Authorities. Yearbook of Swiss Administrative Sciences, 13(1), pp. 51-62. Ubiquity Press 10.5334/ssas.169

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What does the reputation management of a public authority look like under extreme
conditions? The present article studies the Swiss Child and Adult Protection Authorities
(CAPA), which experienced a major reputational crisis after a mother killed her two
children in 2015 and accused the CAPA of bearing responsibility. We use the CAPA
as one of the most contested public organizations in Switzerland to study reputation
management when a public authority is under severe attack and draw learnings for
public organizations in similar situations in the future. Applying the Narrative Policy
Framework (NPF) in a content analysis to newspaper articles from the German-
speaking part of Switzerland, we examine narratives uttered by CAPA representatives.
Furthermore, by comparing the CAPA’s communication with a similar case in the
Romandie, we draw general lessons for public organizations that want to improve
their reputation management and crisis communication. The results show how in
German-speaking Switzerland, negative media reports increased sharply and caused
lasting damage to the CAPA’s reputation. By contrast, the scandal in French-speaking
Switzerland did not lead to a full-blown crisis. Our findings underscore the need
for public organizations to speak up when under attack, to build up the respective
communication skills and resources and to employ positive narratives with shiny hero
characters rather than negative narratives emphasizing villains.

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