Abstract

Following a crisis, strategic framing is critical for leaders tasked with addressing stakeholder concerns. While research has focused primarily on the framing efforts of leaders during the initial crisis event, studies have not explored whether and how a leader’s framing may need to evolve throughout an organization’s post-crisis response. To address this gap, we analyze a 12-year transformation effort led by Director Robert Mueller at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Drawing on qualitative data from 166 of Mueller’s appearances before Congress and 138 interviews with FBI personnel including Mueller, we introduce a dynamic, longitudinal process model of strategic framing in the aftermath of a crisis. The key insight emerging from our study is that, during prolonged periods of transformation, a leader’s strategic framing tactics (i.e., breaking, balancing, and integrating) evolve to accommodate shifting stakeholder concerns. We also uncover a novel theoretical distinction between outcome frames (focused on “what” an organization does) and process frames (focused on “how” an organization undertakes its work) and propose how these should be sequenced in the wake of a crisis event.