Trust after Times of Cyber Crisis

Nowak, David; Brandt, Tobias

Research article in digital collection (conference) | Peer reviewed

Details about the publication

Name of the repositoryECIS 2025 Proceedings
Article number2
StatusPublished
Release year2025
Language in which the publication is writtenEnglish
ConferenceEuropean Conference on Information Systems, Amman, Jordan
Link to the full texthttps://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2025/smart_gov/smart_gov/2
KeywordsIn recent years the public sector and especially critical infrastructures are increasingly targeted by cyber-attacks with impacts extending beyond technical systems. In this article we explore the impact of cyber-attacks on trust relationships between organizations in the public sector. Drawing on 24 interviews in affected municipalities across 2 interview waves, the article follows municipalities through the cyber crisis. We plan to complete a third wave of interviews by the time of the conference. Through a comparative case study, it investigates the complex interplay between cyber crisis and trust, emphasizing the potential of trust repair tactics in mitigating the negative impacts of a trust transgression in the public sector. Furthermore, it highlights how organizational responses after a crisis may provoke negative responses if they are not backed up by a solid communication strategy.

Authors from the University of Münster

Brandt, Tobias
Chair of Digital Innovation and the Public Sector (Prof. Brandt) (DIPS)
Nowak, David
Chair of Digital Innovation and the Public Sector (Prof. Brandt) (DIPS)