Public Affairs management has become an indispensable part of every organisation's strategy. In an increasingly complex context, presided over by multiple uncertainties, rapid exponential changes and permanent disruptions caused by technological change, organisations, Whatever their vision and mission, they must have a strong Public Affairs department with which to draw a strategic mapping in the short, medium and long term.
Traditionally, this organisational policy has been seen as being almost exclusively linked to the tasks of lobby to have an influence on the whole of stakeholders identified. However, the complex scenario mentioned above requires a much broader vision: Public Affairs cannot and should not be limited to traditional lobbying.
A Public Affairs strategy and action plan must be designed at the highest level of the organisation. And it must be done by activating different levers: strategic communication, institutional relations, protocol, lobbying, CSR, reputation and any others considered to be of interest. Many organisations have specialised departments in one of these areas, but they are often not aligned and work autonomously, without an effective and efficient strategy that cuts across them.
Generating influence
There is a growing need for Public Affairs to be considered globally, either centralised in one department or in different departments working in a coordinated network. But it is no longer an option. It is a necessity. The success of an organisation increasingly depends on many intangibles that are related to the vision that customers, citizens, the companies we work with, political and social agents and, in short, society as a whole have of our organisation. If you want to generate influence, the way to do so is through analysis and tools such as those described above, but it always ends up in connecting with people and organisations, having credibility and, in the end, generating trust. Without that trust there will never be fertile and lasting influence. And this increasingly affects the bottom line or the objectives we have defined.
By Agustín Baezaconsultant for Public Affairs and Communication and Public Affairs Manager at the Spanish Startup Association