A2007 survey of chief executive officers in the United States revealed their expectation that communications chiefs be equipped to “see around corners” and anticipate how different audiences will react to different events, messages and channels.
BY LENOX MHLANGA
For those of us who have battled for the legitimacy of public relations as a management function, the credibility and senior management access issues management can deliver is something that communication professionals may find only in the midst of crises.
Looking at the current crises that embattle the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, in particular, and the financial services sector, in general, opportunities for public relations to rise to the challenge present themselves in 3D.
I am following up on my article last week — Drawing PR lessons from the cash crisis — where I wrote that the cash crisis was certainly not a sudden event, but had been simmering for a while. Someone in the banking sector responded by asking what I thought should have been done.
Possessing the skill of being able to identify and manage issues, such as the cash crisis and that of bond notes, prevents them from escalating into crises, protect the organisation’s reputation and save them loads of money in the process. This, where the adage, prevention is better that cure, makes sense.
Issues management, in essence, is an anticipatory, strategic management process that helps organisations detect and appropriately respond to emerging trends or changes in the socio-political environment. These changes may then “crystallise” into an “issue,” which is defined as a situation that evokes the attention of important organisational publics and stakeholders.
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Public relations expert, Craig Miyamoto, puts it this way. If you know an earthquake will hit next week, and if you initiate the proper precautions, you are practising disaster management.
If you know your legislature is on verge of introducing, and eventually enacting, legislation that will affect the way your organisation operates, and if you take steps to solve these problems before the legislation becomes law, you are practising issues management.
Let us get to the coal-face and chip away at what issues management entails. Identifying and defining issues (social, financial, cultural or otherwise) that will affect your organisation and the way it will operate in the future is issues management. So is creating and installing formal procedures to address the issues before they wreak havoc on your organisation. As well as monitoring and modifying the procedures to ensure outcomes that are to your best advantage.
Issues management is essential to business survival, and is concerned with what public relations counsellor Larry Newman of the Newman Partnership calls “alternative futures”.
Issues management identifies future trends. “Trends” are series of events that can be estimated and measured over time. An “event” is a single, confirmable occurrence.
We are fixated with events and react to them individually. That’s firefighting and requires the actions of a “fire-brigade” and not a well-prepared public relations function.
The ability to forecast conditions does not only reside in the meteorology department. That’s what issues management is all about. It’s identifying the problems and concerns that will affect your organisation in the future, and determining what steps you will take to lessen the impact that they have on your organisation.
I remember trying to explain to my boss at a certain tyre manufacturing company why I had to sit in executive meetings while the rest were so violently opposed to having me there. Being a former journalist, there were those who felt I could not be trusted.
Public relations’ role as strategic counsel positions the profession well in the issues management discipline. Which is why an executive management team should not be without a public relations professional competent in issues management. Or at least be able to seek strategic counsel from external consultants.
Good issues management programmes identify early those critical issues that will affect your organisation measurably. They also try to influence the issues so that they don’t become major problems.
What is required of successful and effective issues managers? How can you help your organisation?
First, be prepared, and position yourself to recognise significant trends. You must listen, read and think.
“Reading publications such as The Futurist, published by the World Future Society, trade and business journals enables one to listen to business leaders, economists and futurists. Think about how you can meet and address the challenges of tomorrow,” Miyamoto advises.
Being on a constant lookout for trends enables one to learn to differentiate long-term trends from short-term fads. Brainstorming with your colleagues and looking for both short- and long-term solutions to problems helps you to anticipate the future and prepare for eventualities.
Doing a formal analysis of the situation is key. Describe your thoughts by estimating the psychological, sociological and financial effects of the anticipated changes.
Identify the people and organisations who will be affected by the issue, and set your priorities accordingly.
Determine your organisation’s position and make an action recommendation to management, based on your best information. Remember that the recommendation(s) must benefit your organisation first, its stakeholders next, then the public good.
Study, identify and create a data base of specific publics and thought-leaders who will support you. Look long and hard for decision-makers and likely supporters. This resides in the realm of “influencer relations” that will be the topic of a future column.
Determine which groups are most amenable to targeted communication. And don’t forget to identify and list likely detractors; you’ll want to know who they are, and where their “hot buttons” are.
It is incumbent upon you not to forget to determine what you want your audiences to do. What specific action do you want them to take? How can they express, through individual or group action, their support for you?
Successful issues managers are those who have the ability to “step outside of the box,” who can forecast trends, who can determine what effect(s) the trends will have on their organisation, and who can change the organisation’s practices to take advantage of the impending changes. They are more like company witchdoctors.
l Lenox Mhlanga is a communication specialist with the World Bank Group. The opinions expressed here are his own. He can be contacted at [email protected]
