Communication · Executive Insight Brief · 548
Same alert, six different behaviors
The Situational Theory of Problem Solving links problem perceptions and motivation to seeking, filtering, and sharing information around a specific issue
Premise
Exposure to a safety announcement does not make every employee an active information participant. Some recognize a problem and seek detail; others disregard it, filter contradictory evidence, or share concerns with colleagues. The Situational Theory of Problem Solving (STOPS) explains communicative action through people’s relationship to a particular problem rather than a fixed audience type.
This distinction changes campaign diagnosis. Before calling a silent public apathetic, decision-makers must examine whether people see a problem, consider it personally relevant, believe they can act, and trust the knowledge they already possess. A high sharing rate is a behavior count, not proof that the public has understood the issue correctly.
What the model is: Situational Theory of Problem Solving (STOPS) in Knowledge →
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- FamilyModel
- CategoryTheories & Explanatory Models
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What these mean
Editorial orientation · Family
Model
In this series, Model names the editorial family primarily used to understand and explain communication: theories, frameworks, effects, traditions, principles and other conceptual resources. It is an umbrella for a route into the field, not a claim that every included object is a predictive model.
Editorial orientation · Category
Theories & Explanatory Models
Explains how or why a communication process works by relating mechanisms, conditions or variables. Its value is an account that can guide inquiry into what produces an outcome, rather than a name for the outcome alone.