Network analysis of inter-organizational communication leading to the Flint water crisis

Abstract

The Flint Michigan Water Crisis was selected as a case study due to the widespread inter-organizational communications that contributed to flawed decision-making, resulting in an unprecedented man-made contamination of a public water supply (See Case Materials for Additional Background). This case study is focused on the events that led up to the crisis. During this stage of pre-crisis, organizations played a critical role in contributing to systemic failure, and as organizational communication scholars, it is our opportunity to analyze the organizational contribution to this crisis to ensure that it does not happen again.

This project requires the student to read case materials, perform a network analysis of the organizations and individuals involved, relate the results of the model to the relevant organizational communication theories discussed in this course, and interpret findings in a comprehensive paper which brings references from relevant materials, uses visual outputs from the model as supporting evidential figures, and elaborates on the results of the network analysis to reach new theoretical and practical solutions.