WEEK 5 Application Assignment: Academic Article

Turbulent World

This weeks reading discussed developing integrated strategic communication and the role of organizations in executing an approach that is effective.  This often requires two-way communication channels that are flexible and sometimes ambiguous in nature.    Strategic Ambiguity, Communication, and Public Diplomacy In an Uncertain World: Principles and practices (2006), reported that the U.S. failed to change the unfavorable attitudes toward the U.S. in the Middle East because of the outdate one-way communication model it was using.  The Pentagon developed a new approach using strategic ambiguity model, integrating monologue and dialogue (Goodall, Trethewey, & McDonald, 2006).    Strategic ambiguity is a sharing of information between the company and its audience, to make better decisions as well as allow for  “local empowerment” of information necessary for employees and customers to make better decisions (Goodall, Trethewey, & McDonald, 2006). 

Five pragmatic principles were identified to guide the policy:  1) Practice strategic engagement not global salesmanship (Goodall, Trethewey, & McDonald, 2006).  2) Do not repeat the same message in the same channels with the same spokesperson and expect new or different results (Goodall, Trethewey, & McDonald, 2006).  3) Do not seek to control a message’s meaning in cultures we do not fully understand (Goodall, Trethewey, & McDonald, 2006).   4) Understand that message clarity and perception of meaning is a function of relationships, not strictly a function of word usage (Goodall, Trethewey, & McDonald, 2006).  5) Seek “unified diversity” based on global cooperation instead of “focused wrongness” based on sheer dominance and power (Goodall, Trethewey, & McDonald, 2006). 

In Lowell L. Bryan’s Just-In-Time Strategy for a Turbulent World (2002), Bryan states that a new approach for corporate strategy is necessary due to the uncertain business environment that corporate leaders face today.  He suggests that companies should build a portfolio-of-initiatives in areas in which they are familiar; to offset the confusion and risks that are increasingly present in the global economic environment (2002).  An analogy he uses is of two runners on a level track.  It stands to reason that the faster runner will win regardless of how many times they race, however if the race were held at night with various obstacles on the track, the runner with the most knowledge or familiarity would win (Bryan, 2002).   According to Bryan, strategy becomes increasingly about gaining competitive advantage through deep familiarity that can transform the rise in risk premiums.  A portfolio-of-initiatives approach to strategy can help ensure that companies take full advantage of their best opportunities without taking unnecessary risks (Bryan, 2002).  Three elements are central to a portfolio-of-initiatives approach: 1) a disciplined search based on familiarity is needed to discover and create initiatives that provide disproportionality high rewards for the risks taken (Bryan, 2002).  2) A continuous effort must be made to manage the initiatives resulting from the search and also careful time management is needed to overcome the unavoidable risks due to the uncertainty in the market (Bryan, 2002).  3) A flexible and evolutionary approach is used to determine where and how the company should compete (Bryan, 2002).

When Social Issues Become Strategic (2006) discussed public affairs, the role of corporations in the sociopolitical debate and the valuable market opportunities that companies can leverage by addressing social needs and consumer preferences.  Some examples given were DeBeers “blood diamond” campaign for using diamonds from conflict free areas in order to be social responsible; Nike and the Fair Labor Association; Coca- Cola and Pepsi’s common approach in not marketing to children under 12 years of age (Bonini, Mendonca &Oppenheim, 2006). 

Similar best practices were identified in The Strategic Communication Imperative (2005).  The article defined strategic communication as “communication aligned with the company’s overall strategy” (p.83) Many of the corporate heads interviewed reported that two-way communication and dialogue in their company communication strategies were essential to successful strategies.   Also identified was constant messaging in alignment with the organization using various communication functions such as media relations, community relations and marketing communications.  Objectives such as crisis management, consensus building, and driving sales are executive using various channels such as press releases, newsletters, employee conference calls, and advertising.  (Argenti, Howell, & Beck, 2005).  

References 

Argenti, P., Howell, R., Beck, K. (2005) The Strategic Communication Imperative, MIT Sloan Management Review, 46 #3, pp. 83-89

Bonini, S. M. J., Mendonca, L., and Oppenheim, J. (2006) When Social Issues Become Strategic, The McKinsey Quarterly, 2, pp. 19-31

Bryan, L. L. (2002).  Just-in-time- strategy for a turbulent world, The McKinsey Quarterly, special edition: Risk and resilience, pp.16-27. 

Goodall, B., Terthewey, A., and McDOnald, K. (2006) Strategic Ambiguity, Communication and Public Diplomacy in an Uncertain World: Principles and Practices, Consortium for Strategic Communication, pp. 1-14