Preface
Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow.
The shadow is what we think of it;
The tree is the real thing.—Abraham Lincoln
“Good Book, Dumb Title”
We heard that more than a few times when the first edition of Reputation Management was published in 2006. This despite the fact that the text was peer-reviewed and published by one of the world’s leading academic publishers.
On the surface, the logic of the detractors was irrefutable: reputation is an intangible asset, therefore, it cannot be managed. That logic, more pervasive than not at the time, presupposed that intangible things, say, interpersonal relationships, cannot be managed. We would argue that if intangible things are not managed their value will go south, just as will always be the case with unmanaged tangible assets. Do we need a case study to prove that if an individual does not care for and cultivate his or her personal relationships, the sum of how that individual is perceived and regarded – something called reputation – will deteriorate?
The authors believed in 2006, and more so now, that one reason so many organizations—from corporations, to governments, religions, universities and nonprofits —continue to set records for destroying their own reputations is that they think of reputation as unmanageable.
The authors believed in 2006, and more so now, that one reason so many organizations—from corporations, to governments, religions, universities and nonprofits —continue to set records for destroying their own reputations is that they think of reputation as unmanageable. We like the Abraham Lincoln quote (on the cover, above, and beginning of Chapter 1) because the tree’s shadow can be shaped, by fertilizing and pruning the tree for instance. The shadow (reputation) can be shaped and even controlled, at least to some degree, despite the wind, the sun, pestilence and so on. It is hard to argue with the proposition that the continued existence of the shadow is more likely with cultivation of the tree than without.
The other reason we love the Lincoln quote is its emphasis on substance: “Character is like the tree … the tree is the real thing.”
The lesson we take from Lincoln is that if an organization takes care of the important things—performance, behavior, communication and identity—then its reputation will flourish, at least over the long term. Reputation may get blown around and even distorted from time to time, but the alternative to care and nurturing of the things that matter most is scandal, failure, unemployment, poverty, a loss of faith in government and religion, and on and on. A kind of reputational anarchy.
This is why we believe that the emerging field of reputation management will eventually become its eponymous self:
- The term reputation management, seldom used in 2006 without derision, now produces over 6.5 million Google hits.
- There are thousands of firms that bill themselves as reputation managers yet most by far stop at measurement or analysis.
- Many of the “reputation management” firms monitor online mentions of a company or brand, and many do that very well. But they monitor—not manage.
- Over the last seven years, the number of public relations firms that list reputation management among their capabilities has increased exponentially.
- Some large management consulting firms have entered the field.
- The field has been moving from measurement to analysis to management. Most companies in the field are stuck at measurement or analysis.
- Since the first edition of Reputation Management, scholars have done great work to validate the benefits of a good reputation (see Chapter 1). That argument is settled.
- If the parts of reputation can be managed so too can the whole.
There are still leading executives and academics who say reputation cannot be managed. Some of them are successful and highly regarded in the reputation field, and many are marketing academic offerings or their services to students and companies. And so, before we set the foundation for this edition, we would ask them this question: If one cannot manage reputation, what the heck are you selling?
Definitions and Basic Premise
Public relations: The management of communication and relationships between an organization and its publics. It is also the selling of ideas, policies, products and services through often uncontrolled media and two-way communication that complement or replace the controlled media and often one-way communication of advertising.
(Doorley and Garcia)
(The preceding definition is built on the seminal, 10-word definition by Grunig and Hunt—the management of communication between an organization and its publics.)
The following definitions are by Doorley and Garcia:
Corporate and organizational communication: The centralized management of communication on behalf of the organization; the function is a critical contributor to an organization’s reputation—and thereby its competitiveness, productivity and financial success. It is a subset of public relations.
Corporate reputation: How the corporation is perceived.
Brand: How the individual or organization wants to be perceived, or wants its products or services to be perceived.
Corporate (organizational) brand: How the corporation wants to be perceived. Success, at least from the perspective of those who lead the organization, would have corporate reputation equal to corporate brand.
This book on public relations and corporate and organizational communication is grounded on the simple premise that everything communicators do should be respectful of, if not geared toward, the long-term interests of the organization. Organizations that manage their reputations well benefit not just in so-called soft, feel-good ways, but in quantifiable, bottom-line ways as well. Organizations that ignore the reputational effects of their actions pay the consequences over the long term, as the rash of business scandals since 2002 has shown. And the consequences range from soft, embarrassing ones to dissolution of the organization.
This book is unique because:
- It covers each of the major disciplines in the field of corporate and organizational communication, bridging real-world practice with communication theory and history.
- It covers the field from the perspective of reputation management and provides a framework for managing reputation into the future.
- Every chapter and sidebar article is written by someone who has practiced the craft successfully at a high level.
- The authors cite personal experiences, including both successes and failures.
- Each of the chapters include history and theory, real-world information, and the perspectives of practitioners.
- Each chapter concludes with best practices, questions for further discussion, and resources for further study.
It is our hope that this book will advance the practice of public relations and corporate and organizational communication by helping practitioners and students become more knowledgeable about the history, theory and practice of their craft. Ours is not a primer—for example, we do not show readers how to write a press release. Our book presumes a basic knowledge of communication theory and practice appropriate to professional communicators, executives, and students at the advanced undergraduate or graduate levels. There are good basic public relations and communication texts on the market. What we have produced is a book based on solid academic principles and written by leaders from the communication professions—a book that addresses communication problems and opportunities in a thoughtful, thoroughgoing, practical way.
This book is a team project. We have collaborated on the entire book, and have shared responsibility for drafting individual chapters. Doorley has taken the lead in drafting the keystone Chapter 1 on reputation management, and the chapters on media relations, and community and global relations; and has done most of the liaison and editing work with outside authors. Garcia has taken the lead in drafting the chapters on communication ethics, issues management, crisis communication, and challenges and opportunities facing the profession; and did most of the liaison work with the author of the chapter on investor relations. Doorley wrote the proposal for the book and secured the agreement with the publisher.
We have also sought the help of many prominent practitioners whose perspectives and experiences complement ours. These contributions come in two forms: authorship or coauthorship of individual chapters, and contributions of sidebars or case studies within chapters.
To keep clear who wrote what, the chapters written by Doorley and Garcia have no author attribution at the beginning of the chapter; each chapter written or cowritten by a contributor begins with the contributor’s byline.
Illustrations
Back in 2006 when we were beginning to wrap up the first edition, we approached an illustrator who had done many of the wonderful New Yorker cartoons. We asked for his fee and were about to budget for it when we thought it would be nice to retain one of our students. Long story short, we found Julie Osborn, a graduate student in the Center for Advanced Digital Applications Program at New York University. Lucky us! Osborn ’s work, though Jules Pfeiffer-like, is original, sometimes humorous, always engaging. Since our first edition was published in 2006, Osborn has earned her graduate degree and landed a job with George Lucas (of Star Wars fame). Lucky George! She has since moved on to other firms and higher positions. It was Osborn who conceived Mr. ProCom and Ms. ProCom, shown on the opening page of each chapter.
Structure of the Book
Chapter 1 includes a framework, copyrighted by Doorley, for implementing “Comprehensive Reputation Management.” It is remarkable, but very few organizations approach reputation management in a comprehensive way, as they would any other asset; in fact, many organizations do not know what their reputations are worth. Corporate communication professionals should make it their business to understand the value of reputation, and ways to support, enhance and measure it. Chapter 1 also includes a discussion of the Pushmi-Pullyu syndrome, whose schizophrenic tug has been felt by every communication professional.
Chapter 2 focuses on ethics. The subject is up front in the book, right where it belongs. The ethical practice of communication is neither an oxymoron nor an afterthought, but should be an integral part of practicing the craft. And it has a tangible effect on reputation. Failure to keep ethical issues always in mind can cause predictable, negative consequences. At New York University’s Center for Marketing, whose students are working professionals, Garcia used to teach communication ethics in the fall semester and crisis communication in the spring semester.
Students invariably wanted to discuss the same case studies in both semesters; they noticed a meaningful overlap in companies with ethical challenges and crises. That led some students to note: “Better pay attention during fall or you’ll be quite busy in the spring.” This chapter includes general principles of communication ethics, the normative standards of behavior embodied in the codes of ethics of major professional organizations, accounts of recent scandals in communication ethics, and two historical sidebars showing that such ethical issues have been part of professional communication for many, many years.
Chapters 3–13 are organized according to the corporate and organizational communication disciplines (for example, media relations, organizational communication and government relations), or around issues or functions that protect reputation (such as corporate responsibility, issues management and crisis communication).
Chapter 7 was titled “Community Relations” but is now “Community and Global Relations.” In this chapter we include theoretical concepts that are foundational for the communication professions, as well as more examples of global reputation management.
Chapter 14 looks ahead and frames criteria for the successful practice of public relations and corporate and organizational communication in the future. It also describes ways to enhance the credibility of the communication function among senior leaders. It provides a framework for thinking strategically about the impact of communication, assuring that all the organizational communication functions are aligned not only with each other but also with the larger enterprise.
We hope that students and professional communicators will find the personal, anecdotal approach an interesting and informative complement to other books in the field, most of which take a third-person, definitional approach. This book should also be helpful to people—from managers to CEOs—who supervise or work with professional communicators. Communication is not rocket science, but it is not easy either, and it can make or break an organization, perhaps faster than any other function.
Today, those who communicate on behalf of institutions have greater power than ever before, because communication media are both more powerful and more widespread than ever. And professional communicators are under greater pressure to use their power in the right and responsible way to meet the pressing requirements of laws and regulations, corporate and organizational governance, and a more vigilant society. Paradoxically, pressures to compromise the forthrightness standard are also becoming greater in this increasingly competitive and fast-paced world.
Paradoxically, pressures to compromise the forthrightness standard are also becoming greater in this increasingly competitive and fast-paced world.
In order for organizations to build solid, sustainable reputations and avoid the kinds of scandals that have recently affected so many of them, organizational communication, like organizational performance, must be proficient and ethical, because communication and performance are major components of reputation. An organization must speak to all its constituencies with one voice that is highly trained and true. And although more people within the organization are joining in many internal and external conversations, thanks to social media, the need for the organization to speak with one voice on material and other critical matters remains unnegotiable, if only to meet regulatory and legal obligations, not to mention the ethical ones. It is our hope that those with a stake in corporate and organizational communication, as well as students and aspiring communicators, will find in this book sound, ethical communication principles and practices that they can believe in and adhere to over the long term.
Communication versus Communications
This is a stylistic point, of course, but some logic can be brought to the discussion. Most academics label their disciplines and their courses as singular. They are professors of communication, and they teach organizational communication, intercultural communication and so on. On the other hand, practitioners most often use the plural, and they work in departments of corporate communications, employee communications and so on. We’re afraid the academics have it. Communication covers the entire spectrum. It is a discipline, like art or language, and is therefore singular. And to label it and think of it as singular is to help elevate what is too often perceived as tactical—for example, issuing press releases and publishing newsletters. Most unabridged dictionaries make only a few exceptions to the use of communication. They refer to the various means of sending messages as plural, so that radio, television, telephones and the Internet are communications media. And they refer to multiple messages as communications. In the 1980s, when Garcia headed communications for a large investment bank, he was often approached by bankers who wanted to add a phone extension or install a computer.
Communications sounds like the phone company. This book will go with logic, and the unabridged dictionaries, and use communication. We will use the plural only in referring to the media, and to the titles of practitioners and the names of their departments, because that is how practitioners usually refer to themselves. Everywhere else, it will be communication.