Designing a Model for Developing a Strategic Public Relations and Crisis Communication Planning Document for the National Iranian Gas Company: A Qualitative Approach

Abstract

This study aimed to design a qualitative model for developing a strategic public relations and crisis communication planning document tailored to the organizational conditions and communication requirements of the National Iranian Gas Company. This applied qualitative study was conducted with 21 participants, including senior managers and decision-makers of the National Iranian Gas Company, public relations and organizational communication specialists, crisis management experts, and university faculty members. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling, and data collection continued until thematic saturation was achieved. Data were gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews and supplementary analysis of relevant organizational documents. Interviews lasted approximately 50–90 minutes, were recorded with participants’ consent, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. MAXQDA software was used to organize, code, compare, and categorize the data. Credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability were strengthened through member checking, peer debriefing, audit-trail documentation, reflective memoing, and review of the preliminary model by subject-matter experts. Analysis of the data yielded 684 preliminary codes, which were reduced to 247 final open codes and organized into 49 subcategories, 15 main categories, and five overarching dimensions. The resulting dimensions were strategic foundations and environmental orientation, governance and organizational capacity, integrated stakeholder and media communication, crisis communication lifecycle management, and evaluation, learning, and strategic improvement. The findings indicated that effective crisis communication planning requires alignment between communication strategy and corporate mission, clear decision-making authority, executive sponsorship, interdepartmental coordination, stakeholder segmentation, integrated media and digital communication, scenario-based preparedness, unified messaging, rumor management, post-crisis reputation recovery, and continuous performance evaluation. The model further demonstrated that crisis communication should be embedded within routine public relations processes and supported by a cyclical feedback mechanism linking evaluation results to strategic revision, training, and resource allocation. The proposed model provides an integrated strategic and operational framework through which the National Iranian Gas Company can strengthen communication governance, crisis preparedness, stakeholder trust, media credibility, organizational coordination, and post-crisis learning.