Transcript Communicating with External Stakeholders

 Communicating with External
Stakeholders
Examples: Community Relations
Government Relations
External Communications
Focuses on stakeholders outside the
organization
Typical tactics:
news releases
press kits
newsletters
company magazines, etc.
Generally assumed that external communication
contributes significantly to an organization’s
success
Hypothesis: External communication activity in
companies identified as visionary is significantly
greater than in comparison companies.
Results:
They gain and initiate more publicity (give out more
news releases and have more articles in mass media)
They spend more money on good causes
They spend more money on lobbying
The quality of their information is not necessarily
better
Visionary companies
Are the premier institutions in their industry
Are widely admired
Have multiple generations of chief executives
(new blood)
Have been through multiple product or service
life cycles (constantly renewing)
Were founded before 1950
Conclusion
External communication is strongly present in
winning companies.
Likely that good business habits drive good
external communications.
As companies begin to develop and prize
excellence, the desire and need for good
communications increases as well.
Companies with good external communications
exhibit traits of visionary companies.
Sustainable Communications
Unsustainable Communications
• Manages expectations
• Manipulates emotions
• Acknowledges poor past
performance as important
• Ignores or denies mistakes or treats them
lightly
• Looks for option that make sense to
all stakeholders
• Looks out for number one
• Presents supporting evidence
• Does not disclose relevant raw data and
back-up work
• Asks questions and tries to answer
questions
• Disseminates ‘news’ and decisions
• Focuses on core publics to create
relationships
• Does ‘PR’ to the ‘public’
• Treats stakeholders as customers
who need to be understood
• Believes stakeholders and audiences
need ‘education’
• Interacts with stakeholders at their
levels, with consistent commitment
• Delivers a variable ‘message’ to various
publics
• Is always open
• Is open when convenient.
E. Bruce Harrison, “Achieving Sustainable
Communication”
Dow Europe’s EHS comm. Strategy. Sancassiani, Org. 9980 Article collection
Dow, cont’d.
Community Relations
Home of office and operations
Supplier of work force
Provides setting, services, etc.
Community relations programs are
specialized communications
programs to facilitate
communication between an
organization and stakeholders in its
geographic locality.
Grunig and Hunt
Factors
Recruitment methods
Employee relations
Waste disposal
Energy use
Design and maintenance of buildings
and grounds
Marketing and advertising strategies
Corporate philanthropy
Community Activities
Expressive -- activities to promote
themselves & to show good will to
community
Instrumental -- activities to improve the
community or change it to make it easier
to work there
Check List
What is level of credibility?
Have there been complaints?
What are present and past community
relations practices?
What are major strengths &
weaknesses?
What opportunities exist?
Community Publics
Community media - diffused linkage
Local employees & customers functional linkage
Community leaders - enabling linkage
Community organizations - normative
linkage
Activists publics -- diffused linkage
Makeup of
Community Opinion
Miniature of national government
Power structure
Opinion leaders
Networking
Prime movers
Independents
Dissidents
Pyramid of Power
1.
2.
3.
4.
Major
employers,
land owners, top
officials, wealthy
‘first’ families
Corporate, commercial
executives, lawyers, etc.
Local officials, editors, lesser city
officials, association executives
Business, teachers, factory managers, workers
Effective Communication
Targeting of opinion leaders or
community leaders
Two-way symmetric relations
Communication objective
Cultivation of organizations, their
leaders and membership
Reach out with sponsorship of
activities
Evaluation
 Number of government officials reporting contact with
organization.
 Number of members of local publics reporting contact.
 Number of community leaders discussing controversial
or policy issues.
 Number of managers reporting they have made
changes as result of information from community
about service or problems.
 Number of negative behaviors reported by community
leaders.
Government Relations
(often called Public Affairs)
Government at all levels
Political action
Issues management
Lobbying
Government Publics
Highest level in country - Storting
Next level - fylke
Decreasing level - kommune, city, etc.
Check List
What is the makeup of the
organization?
What are past and present relations
with government?
What are strengths and weaknesses?
How vulnerable is organization to
legislation?
Which of our activities could result in
government involvement?
Possible Objectives
Increase knowledge of organization
among politicians
Create or enhance favorable attitudes
toward organization
Influence favorable vote on a legislation
Possible Activities
Fact finding
Coalition building
Direct lobbying
Grass-roots lobbying
Political support
activities
Political action
committees (PACs)
Political education
activities
Communications on
political issues