The Legitimacy Of Issues Management

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Confidential. Not to be copied without permission © Growth Solutions Group 2006

Issues Management

AMI Government Marketing ConferenceAugust 4 2006

Legitimacy and Illegitimacy

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What Is An Issue?

An issue is:

• A disagreement over facts, values or policies;

• A disagreement over procedural or substantive matters related to how resources or positions are distributed;

• A controversial inconsistency based on one or more gaps in expectations involving management perceptions about changing cost/benefit positions and different views about what is, and/or, what ought to be, organisational performance. It includes stakeholder perceptions about performance.

• The issue is also what you want the issue to be.

Source: Professor John Mahon. University of Maine ACCPA Newsletter

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Definition: Issues Management

Keeping the

elephants away

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Definition: Issues Management

The process of monitoring

questions that need to be

communicated, tracked

and resolved

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What Does This Mean for Government ?

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Different Perspectives on the Role of Issues Management

Business

• Anticipation

• Scenario Planning

• Reputation

Maintenance

• Avoidance of crisis

Government

• Media

• Putting out fires

• Crises

• Ministers

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A Framework for Government Issues Management

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Getting the Context Right

Embedding issues management into the planning process

Regular updates

Line management education

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How?

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The Role of Issues Management in Strategic Planning

Craig Fleisher's Emerging PA Model:

• PA and issues managed as a year round process

• Cultivating and maintaining enduring stakeholder relationships

• Influencing stakeholders using refined information

• Managing the grassroots

• Communicating in an integrated manner

• Continually aligning values and strategy with the public’s interests

• Improving external relations using the accepted facets of contemporary

management practice

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Risk, Opportunity and Issues Analysis

• Conduct issues monitoring and environmental scans locally and globally

• Analyse threats and be sceptical

• Use standard analytical tools: SWOT, PEST, Porter model

• Undertake scenario planning: What ifs?

• Constantly retest internal perception against external realities

• To produce: Risk, Opportunity and Issues Profile.

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Research, Stakeholders and Publics

Categorise risks, threats and opportunities according to priorities around:

• Capacity to impact on survival/success

• Probability

• Capacity to influence

• Impact on individual organisations versus group influences

Use benchmark stakeholder research to identify key relationship needs

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Why?

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Understanding the Issues Lifecycle

Time

Intensity

Current Resource Allocation: Time/Money

Desired Resource Allocation

Issue Lifecycle

Identification

Media

Action

Legislation, Regulation, Project dropped or modified

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Getting on Your Bike!

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Keys to Issues Management

Asking “What ifs?”

Setting priorities

Getting space

The balcony view

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Anticipating and Defining Issues

Understanding the context – global trends, demography, economics, social

change

Political monitoring

Media content and trend analysis

Reality therapy - listening to, and looking at, the world to avoid group think

The internet

Using conventional planning tools e.g., scenario planning, SWOT,

environmental analysis, stakeholder analysis, corporate planning situation

analysis methodologies

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Ranking Issues

A common model uses ranking of issues by capacity to influence, importance and probability

Capacity to Influence

Importance

Low Probability

High Probability

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Managing Issues - Some Basic Strategic Questions

• Who centres and frames the issue?

• What is the issue - how do we define the real core of the problem?

• Why is it an issue?

• Where will it be contested?

• Why is it important - what social, economic, political factor or interest group underpins it?

• Who are the players?

• How can it be resolved?

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Managing Issues - Techniques and Tactics

• Rectification

• Media programs

• Masterly inaction

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An Issues Management Methodology

Stakeholder Analysis to Identify:

• Those directly involved in issues

• Allies and potential allies

• Entrenched opponents

• Independent monitors and opinion formers

• Uninvolved

Management Options:

Recruit as advocates

Encourage support

Seek to neutralise

Maintain dialogue

Monitor and anticipate ‘what ifs

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Some Conclusions

• No perfect systems – but we have an ongoing role bringing the outside inside

(Peter Drucker)

• Many methodologies and techniques to choose from

• When do we cross the line from issue to crises?

• Managing issues effectively is the best way to avoid crises