"It is natural for man to indulge in illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes to a painful truth…For my part, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it."
When Patrick Henry spoke those words more than two centuries ago, he couldn't have known that he was describing the essence of what we now call Issues Management. But more than ever, knowing the worst and preparing for it isn't just a good idea. It's a survival skill.
Overview
At Ogilvy PR, we view issues management as an ongoing process of aligning corporate behavior with stakeholder expectations. Issues become issues when this alignment is missing. But through a process of identifying issues early, prioritizing them, and closely monitoring their evolution, issues can be managed—either by changing the company's behavior or its stakeholders' expectations, or both.
Capabilities
Over the years, we have developed a methodology for managing issues for clients in a wide variety of industries. Many of our clients have issues that are directly related to their industry (chemicals, airlines, technology); others must contend with issues that arise simply because they are large companies (globalization, discrimination suits, shareholder actions).
We have developed an eight-step program for Issues Management. The eight steps are:
| 1. | Identification: What issues could arise either because of the client's industry or its scale? |
| 2. | Prioritization/classification: Which of these issues could cause significant damage to the client's reputation or business operations if not managed effectively? |
| 3. | Monitoring: How is this issue evolving, on a monthly or even daily basis? |
| 4. | Preparation: How can we anticipate the course of this evolution and devise an action plan? |
| 5. | Action to influence issue: What steps can we take to change the course of an issue's progression? |
| 6. | Issue/crisis response: If the issue developed into a crisis that threatened the company's ability to conduct business, how would we react? |
| 7. | Evaluation: Did we respond effectively to the issue, preventing its emergence as a crisis? What lessons were learned? |
| 8. | Re-classification: Has the issue lessened in severity over time? Is it still a concern moving forward? |
We also believe that an issue, if managed well, can actually be an opportunity to differentiate a company. A great example is diversity. While many companies have struggled to embrace diversity, often coming under great scrutiny by critic or activist groups as a result, others have set a great example and receive frequent accolades for the strides they have made in creating a diverse workplace. It sets them apart as Employers of Choice.
The first step in developing an issues management program is to conduct a vulnerabilities audit. This involves a series of meetings with representatives from around the company, in every operating division. Our goal is to understand the internal and external factors that could evolve into issues to be managed. These issues can include, among others, system failures, customer service problems, environmental impact, proposed legislation and competitor initiatives.
Once issues have been identified, they can be prioritized to allow focusing on those that have the greatest likelihood of happening and would have the most detrimental effect on the company if they did. These issues merit the creation of a crisis response plan. Less severe issues may only require the preparation of a stand-by statement.
Ongoing monitoring ensures that changes in the intensity of an issue or its likelihood of occurrence are spotted immediately and assessed.
Most important, an effective issues management plan can provide guidance on actions the client can take to influence the evolution of an issue—possibly even make it go away.
"Know the worst and provide for it." Good advice 200 years ago, and good advice today.
