The real-time power of Twitter: Crisis management and leadership in an age of social media Daniel A. Gruber a , Ryan E. Smerek b , Melissa C. Thomas-Hunt c , Erika H. James d, * a Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University, 1870 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, U.S.A. b School of Education & Social Policy, Northwestern University, 2120 Campus Drive Evanston, IL 60208, U.S.A. c Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 6550, Charlottesville, VA 22906-6500 U.S.A. d Goizueta Business School, Emory University, 1300 Clifton Road, Suite 530, Atlanta, GA 30322, U.S.A. 1. Organizational crises in and around social media Organizational crises can be catalyzed by a variety of factors and can have devastating consequences. Crises have been defined as ‘‘rare, significant, and public situations that create highly undesirable outcomes for the firm and its stakeholders’’ Business Horizons (2015) 58, 163—172 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect www.elsevier.com/locate/bushor KEYWORDS Crisis; Social media; Leadership; Expertise; Twitter Abstract This article focuses on crisis management and leadership by executives, boards, and institutions and applies research on resilience, power, and sensemaking in the analysis of the ousting and subsequent return of a chief executive by the board of directors. Insights are shared on the transparency of information, the power of social media, the role of leaders in a crisis, and the ability of different voices to be heard and exert influence in our social media age. This case study provides a set of recommen- dations for leadership and crisis management in the contemporary business environ- ment by showing how a crisis can be fueled by social media. Twitter is analyzed as a source of real-time news and information, which can have a significant impact on organizations and their strategies. Furthermore, implications for new executives are highlighted, with a focus on how their initial sensemaking process shapes the ability to respond to a crisis. # 2014 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author E-mail addresses: d-gruber@northwestern.edu (D.A. Gruber), ryan.smerek@northwestern.edu (R.E. Smerek), thomashuntm@darden.virginia.edu (M.C. Thomas-Hunt), erika.james@emory.edu (E.H. James) 0007-6813/$ — see front matter # 2014 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2014.10.006