Corporations, particularly those in the chemical industry, have embarked on a major effort to increase their environmental credibility with the public. As a result, many companies are reaching out beyond their gates to increase dialogue with communities and environmentalists. Although many corporations have attempted to improve the communication skills of individual managers, little attention has been paid to improving how the company, as an organization, learns to improve communication practices in general, and environmental risk communication in particular. In this article, we discuss how one plant's process of learning about risk communication might inform organizational learning about communicating with communities about environmental concerns. We found that organizational learning was complex, and that different sub#x2010;units learned different lessons and at different rates. Learning from crises, experience, and the experience of other organizations are discussed. This research suggests that corporations that grapple with organizational issues are more likely to succeed in their efforts to communicate about environmental issues.
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