We’ve just published our second report — Hindsight to foresight: Taking a proactive approach to purpose and polarization — in partnership with Stephen Waddington.
Building off the work of our first report together on the role of communications and the management function, this new piece of research investigates the role of corporate communications and insights in helping companies manage social and political polarization.
Polarization lands on the desk of corporate communications as it is the only management function with a relationship perspective of an organization. This position is uniquely based on both the internal and external context and a balance of emotional and intellectual intelligence.
Right now, in the global year of elections, there’s no bigger issue on the minds of corporate communications professionals — a fact highlighted by both the Page Society and PRovoke media recently.
The report is built from interviews conducted by Stephen with senior communications practitioners working in large international companies across Europe, the UK, and the US, including the likes of Accenture, BP, Lloyds Banking Group, Paypal, Under Armour, and more.
From that research, three key themes emerged on how communications and insights professionals are approaching the challenge of polarization.
1. The role of data for monitoring and prediction
Data is integral to understanding public opinion and macro trends, which helps companies predict and model stakeholder reactions to public discourse and organization communications. The addition of predictive analysis is increasingly important for strategic planning and response.
2. The importance of EQ and IQ in communications
The combination of emotional and intellectual intelligence in the communications function enables a nuanced understanding and reaction. This unique combination of expertise improves decision-making and ensures that communication is responsive and emotionally resonant.
3. The assertive role of corporate communications in management
The corporate communications function plays an increasingly influential role in management by steering the strategic direction and response to socio-political issues. This function is crucial in framing the narrative, managing issues, and ensuring management decisions align with values and public expectations.
We also used these interviews to create a framework for approaching the issues of purpose and polarization, an outline of which you can find below.
Foresight framework for managing polarizing issues
The foresight framework sets out some of the key considerations when managing polarizing issues, either by choice or because the company has been pulled into an issue in some way. It’s crucial to align on priorities before choosing to engage on specific topics, and only then begin the process of measurement and engagement.
Some of these steps can be aided by tools and internal processes, which we highlight alongside each step.
This framework offers a practical guide for approaching topics of social or political controversy, and sets out to give comms practitioners a data-informed approach with which to engage with them.
This is just one facet of a much broader array of topics within the report, wherein you can also find discussion of:
- How brands have shifted their perspective from creating value for stakeholders to speaking up about wider topics of interest
- How that vocal approach has waxed and then waned slightly again in recent years, hitting a high point of brands speaking out during the pandemic
- The triggers for polarization and the role that both traditional and social media play in the landscape
You can get your copy of the report by filling in the form below. We hope you enjoy the read and find the insights within useful to your work — and we’d like to thank Stephen again for his partnership in the report’s production.
Download your copy
