Achieving Societal Alignment
(Or, How To Fit In With Everybody Else)

By Craig Miyamoto, APR, Fellow PRSA

(This is an expanded version of the 2001 First Quarter issue of Public Relations Strategies, a quarterly publication of Miyamoto Strategic Counsel)

�Societal alignment� is one of those buzz-phrases that pops up every now and then � like �integrated communication,� or �constructive engagement.� Truth be told? This is not much more than the good, old-fashioned two-way symmetrical model of public relations. Remember reading about that in Public Relations 101?

Okay, quick review. There are four basic public relations models, as enumerated by Jim Grunig and Todd Hunt in their text, Managing Public Relations (simplified interpretive definitions my own):

1. Press agentry: We only tell them what we want them to hear, we sell the story to the news media and the publics we want to influence.
2. Public information: We tell them everything we know, and let them make up their own minds.
3. Two-way asymmetrical: We let them talk back to us (feedback), then we use that information to craft our message and make it more attractive and persuasive.
4. Two-way symmetrical: We talk with them, and use their feedback to improve our product or service, and more importantly, to change the way we do our business in order to benefit them.

Servicing the public (servicing society, that is) requires good management of expectations � not OUR expectations, but the expectations of those we serve. But we can�t do that unless we�re �way ahead of the curve, unless we make sure that we know exactly what it is that our society expects of us and what we produce and do for them, and how they expect us to behave in the process.

It starts with research. It starts with listening. It continues with gaining a profound understanding of what we hear. We need to strive for a greater understanding of what society expects of us. It is most important that we listen to those expectations, then apply those very expectations to the way we manage our business.

Two-way communication is imperative in the two-way symmetrical model. Talk �with� and not just �to� the constituencies. At this point in aligning ourselves with society, our job is not to educate, it is instead to learn. Our job is not to advocate, it is to be sincere in our desire to meet expectations. Our job is not to persuade, it is to change.

Who we talk with is important � thought leaders, those who influence opinions in others, those who have a handle on where society is headed, those who use our products, those who avail themselves of our services. We know who the specific publics are for our organization. Let�s talk with them.

Finally, when all of the research and feedback has been organized and digested, it is important to strategize a platform that we can use to manage the issues we�ve uncovered. Our messages � and more importantly, our business practices � can then be adapted with this new-found knowledge, in order that we become more aligned with society.

Some call understanding, communicating, and adapting the �Three Pillars of Societal Alignment.�

Within the framework of these three pillars, use every tool available, including formal and informal research, strategic planning, improvement and enhancement of current and new skills through professional development, use of state-of-the-art technology as a communications and outreach tool, and logistical and philosophical coordination.

How do we reach the goals and objectives we�ve set in the beginning when we first ideated aligning ourselves with society? (Presuming that we have set them, and if we have not, then we should go back to the beginning and start over, don�t you think?)

Strategically selected tactics, that�s how. Some communication-oriented, some action-oriented. Remember now, the ultimate goal is to change ourselves, not just what we say.

Reach out to those whose opinions count. But don�t forget that in societal alignment, we need to slip into lock-step with everybody who has an opinion, everyone who has the power to affect the environment in which we operate. And since Congress makes the laws of the land that regulate what we can and cannot do, it stands to reason that every voter, every tax-paying citizen, every potential taxpayer or voter, is whom we should be listening to at some point. It�s that vast, amorphous group of people known as the �general public� with whom we are aligning.

Engaging in a proactive, constructive dialog with opponents is critical, as we listen carefully to their concerns and seek common ground. We can work on building our image through changed and more socially acceptable behavior, maintaining honest and open channels of communication. Changed behavior can translate into credibility, trust, and inevitably, an improved reputation that will lay the ground work for an improved image.

Every stakeholder is important � e.g., employees, shareholders, investors, customers and clients, purveyors, communities in which we reside and/or operate, government. Being aligned internally is a vital necessity. Employees, consultants, partners all have to be on the same page to avoid confusion and misdirection. Maintain a constant, open and honest dialog with employees.

If we are to continue to exist as viable organizations, then we need to able to pull ourselves into alignment with society, which after all, has power to make us obsolete. For if we become obsolete, then the good things we can do for society will not come to pass.

It�s almost biblical, isn�t it?