Michael Felber, Partner
When does an issue become urgent? It's rarely just about the situation itself - it's about how organizations and their stakeholders frame the need for action.

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Take a mid-sized IT company facing pressure about its data centers' environmental impact. The same facts generate radically different urgency narratives:
Environmental activists: "These centers must transition to renewable energy by 2025 to prevent irreversible damage."
Company management: "We're committed to a sustainable transition in line with the technology's state of the art."
The difference isn't just rhetoric. It reveals three core mechanisms that shape perceived urgency¹:
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1. Time framing
Some stakeholders create pressure through specific deadlines. Others maintain flexibility by keeping timeframes intentionally open. Both can be legitimate approaches - what matters is alignment with real operational constraints and genuine need for action.
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2. Context setting
"The industry is rapidly shifting - we're falling behind" vs. "Our infrastructure upgrades follow established cycles." Each frame references different benchmarks to justify its timing.
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3. Strategic coupling/decoupling
Issues can be linked to broader crises ("part of the climate emergency") or treated as distinct technical challenges. This connection or separation shapes stakeholder expectations about appropriate response times.
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The key is: Urgency isn't just found - it's constructed through consistent patterns of communication and action.
Much like trust, it builds through the alignment of words and deeds over time.
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Practical guidelines
When you mean to build urgency:
Set clear temporal boundaries
Highlight gaps between current state and expectations
Connect to broader strategic priorities
But: Only if you can deliver on the timeline you create
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When you mean to reduce pressure:
Keep timeframes flexible but show progress
Emphasize alignment with natural business cycles
Frame as specific, manageable challenges
But: Don't dismiss legitimate stakeholder concerns
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The ethics matter
Organizations must balance legitimate urgency construction and mitigation with stakeholder trust. Overstating pressure can backfire just as badly as understating genuine concern. The goal isn't manipulation - it's effectively communicating real needs for action or patience.
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Because ultimately, your ability to influence urgency perceptions depends on an actor’s track record. Stakeholders judge the credibility of an "urgent" or of a "measured" response through the lens of past performance.
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¹ For reference on these core mechanics I recommend the excellent paper by Geisemann, P. and Geiger, D. (2024), Crisis? What Crisis? The Contestation of Urgency in Creeping Crises. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 32: e70004. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.70004