Nine dimensions of reputation management

When a crisis hits a company or organisation, it is usually unexpected. Consider the damage to Volkswagen, with its scandal around the rigging of emissions tests. The Democratic Alliance has been in damage-control mode for over a week since Dianne Kohler Barnard disastrously shared a Facebook post about rule under PW Botha.

Some crises can be seen coming, and averted, but most of them are unanticipated. Think of Woolworths and the Pharrell Williams collaboration, sparking a pro-Palestinian protest over Woolworths’ trade with Israel. Consider the unforeseen and difficult predicament of South African Tourism, the Department of Tourism’s official marketing body, following the debilitating effects of the new visa regulations.

Certain “crises” are not really crises at all, but internal disputes that spill into the public domain. Public service wage disputes are typical.

However big or small the crisis, the companies and institutions that weather them best, recovering quickly to continue business as usual, are those that have their houses in order ethically, but also have measures in place to pre-empt or deal with the fallout timeously. In a phrase, this capability is called “reputation management”, and it hinges, like most things, on knowl- edge, accountability and a transparent communication strategy.

One of the major elements in a crisis is effective communications. Any crisis plan should include a responsive communications team, legal counsel, and pre-screened and exceptionally well-trained spokespersons with the right skills. When an issue involves integrity and moral or ethical dilemmas, it’s important to get to the moral reasoning and questioning immediately. Ask the hard questions. Get to the bottom of it.

Yet there are plenty of businesses out there that are not familiar with the components of reputation management, and therefore don’t see the value in it. Until they hit a crisis, that is. Typically a crisis results in some type of loss or change. We find ourselves wanting to get back inside the comfort of the known, but the crisis prohibits this option. Here is where the skills to navigate out of the crisis to calmer seas are essential, and the ability to recognise where the loopholes are and how to close them. Every crisis is an opportunity for improvement and growth.

Reputation management is a comprehensive approach to the communications needs of the company, internally and externally. This is different from public relations, which is managing communication between an organisation and the public.

Reputation management encompasses all the business aspects that require communication with the public and stakeholders. This includes tracking actions, opinions, perceptions and trends around the business or brand, within the company and outside it. The most intuitive companies, those that see a crisis coming and can defuse it, are those that consistently do this intelligence-gathering.

Not least, measuring brand reputation needs to be driven by top executives and should be a deliverable by all staff. It should be added as a performance measure at all levels, as everyone is responsible for building and maintaining an organisation’s brand reputation.

Nine dimensions of reputation management have been researched by the Branding Institute in Switzerland and are widely accepted in the industry, the first being management quality. It’s very important for leaders in your organisation to be engaged. A leader who embraces and listens to the concerns of their staff ultimately gains respect and trust. This entails networking with