Week 1: 1.4.1 What is Strategic Communication

  1. What do you think strategic communications is?

  2. How are issues analysis and strategic communication linked?

  3. Why does strategic communication improve outcomes?

ITEM 1

Paul Argenti and Colleagues (2005):

They define strategic communication as ‘aligned with the company’s overall strategy, to enhance its strategic positioning’. They say that, although strategic communication has a long-​ term orientation, practitioners must ‘meet short-​ term needs but stay focused on the long-​ term issues’ facing organisations.

The article offers several definitions, but the above resonated most. In the module, the definition of strategic communication is an activity that has three purposes (why communicate?)

  • Raise awareness

  • Educate/increase understanding

  • Change behaviour

I think one purpose is missing from this list, and that is the purpose of establishing and building relationships. This relates directly to the operation of professions that sell ephemeral services, such as I am focused on, as opposed to products, in a way that I will come back to later.

2. the link between issues analysis and strategic comms

If you are to operate on the three time horizons noted in the text (Baghai et al., 2000, Mahoney, James. Strategic Communication, Oxford University Press, 2016) you must be concerned with an understanding of how issues can emerge and affect complex systems. Analysis allows you to do this.

That is, seeming small and insignificant emerging elements can have disproportionately large impacts on reputation, relationships between the organisation and stakeholders, and the reception of core messages used to build and maintain essential relationships. There is also a relationship between issues and values in the sense that if the organisation’s response to an issue is not aligned or consistent with stated and communicated values, the issue will become increasingly problematic.

Strategic communication is the process of taking the tactical (short term) and strategic (longer term) steps required to successfully mediate between orgnisation and stakeholder to actively address issues.

3. Why does strategic communication improve outcomes

It stands to reason that strategic, compared to tactical, communication is referenced back to a broader, longer-term framework. This broader framework enables consistency from top to bottom around emerging issues, positive or negative - that is, from values (top) across the spectrum to mundane remedial or constructive actions (messages) impacting directly on, or speaking directly to, stakeholders (bottom). IT seems logical that this is a better approach that will give better outcomes.

Marcus Baumgart