Book excerpt: Organizational crisis--varying from oil spills to Enron--is presented as a natural stage in organizational evolution, creating not only stress and threats but also opportunities for growth and development. The "organization" can be anything from a company to a federal bureaucracy or a society. Communication is viewed as the pivotal process in the creation and maintenance of organization, and its role is examined here at every stage, from incubation to avoidance, crisis management, and recovery.