Just Saying NO! persuades no one

By John Kananghinis

Sometimes it is necessary for those in business to convince policy makers of the merits, or otherwise, of a proposed course of action.

It may well be that the natural business reaction in a particular case is to ‘just tell them no’. No, your idea will not make things better. No, your new policy will not create jobs. No, it is not more efficient. No, it will not fix a perceived problem.

The trouble is if the policy makers have invested political capital in effecting change just saying no is what they expect from vested interests. The bare facts of the matter will not necessarily carry the day. What may be required is an appreciation of where the policy makers are coming from and a more nuanced approach that may result in a policy outcome that avoids the worst potential outcomes of a new proposal.

This is basic human nature. Attack generates defence. A consultation that accepts some need for change, which highlights the pitfalls and then goes on to suggest solutions, is far more likely to get a hearing.

When governments talk of  ‘reform’  one thing is certain, there will be changes. They have staked their political futures on it. The task for impacted businesses is, with the benefit of their deep industry knowledge, to highlight areas of unintended consequence and difficulty, and to seek a seat at the table that works on balancing the reform with relative stability.

Of course it may be that business wants the ‘reform’ in question, then it is even more important to be part of the process and not a spectator.

The skills required will be to know what to say to whom, when and how to say it. That is what true ‘lobbying’ is all about. Threats, deals and calling on old friendships don’t and shouldn’t work in a transparent democracy.  Reasoned representations that help policy makers see the real-world impacts of their actions, and suggesting how those impacts can be as positive as possible, do.

ICG and its affiliates can offer decades of experience in working with businesses seeking to communicate and consult with State and Federal Governments on policy reforms and regulatory changes. That experience allows for the development of strategies that engage rather than alienate, strategies that increase the chances of a better outcome.

Stakeholder Audit whiteboard chart

External Stakeholder Audits Hold the Key

RMKA has recently completed external stakeholder audits for two substantial community organisations.

In both cases, the studies turned up a rich lode of usable information.

External stakeholder audits involve finding out what the people you deal with think of you. It’s a gutsy initiative but an essential one in the interests of organisational improvement – particularly in meeting stakeholder expectations.

The audit begins with the consultancy and client organisation agreeing on information objectives: What do we need to know? The client then produces a list of potential interviewees whose opinions the organisation would like to plumb. Frequently, the consultancy will have input into the list, but most of that information needs to come from the client.

The consultancy then drafts a personalised letter that the client sends to the potential interviewees seeking their participation.

In our experience, it is rare for people to refuse to participate, even though we are typically dealing at very senior levels.

The consultancy then organises and conducts one-on-one interviews with the participants.

Once interviews have been completed, the consultancy prepares a report that summarises the findings of the interviews and provides a set of concrete recommendations for follow-up action by the client. The exercise normally takes two-three months to complete – largely because of the difficulty we have in pinning down senior people to commit to interview times. The interviews typically run for about 45 minutes.

We don’t filter or soften messages and interviewees are inevitably candid and expansive once they get into the swing of the interview. This means the report can be quite confronting.

The study is biased in that we are deliberately looking for problems because it is the problems that give an organisation a platform for improvement.

But despite being assailed by a flurry of negative messages, client organisations inevitably take the messages on board and follow through with actions to remedy the problems. The organisations are well prepared for negative comment: they made the hard decision when they commissioned the study.

ICG consultants are always invited to present the findings and recommendations to senior executive teams and often to Boards of Directors.

External stakeholder audits are a valuable tool for business improvement. They should be an essential planning device for all large organisations.

 

Garry Oliver