A company’s true character is expressed by its people. The strongest opinions, good, bad and indifferent (yes, apathy is equally considered as an indicator), about a company are shaped by the conversations and actions of all employees. A task force of the Arthur W. Page Society, a select membership organization for senior public relations and corporate communications executives, set out to examine the evolving role of the senior communications executive in 21st century business. The white paper examined the theme called “The Authentic Enterprise,” specifically, the drivers and implications of a rapidly changing context for 21st century business and reported on the results of a survey of chief executive officers on the evolving role of the CCO in light of dramatic changes.

‘Authenticity will be the coin of the realm for successful corporations and for those who lead them’ heralds the report.  Equally, it proclaims that ‘the actions and reputation, which used to be safe-guarded by a cadre of professionalized functions, are now the responsibility of everyone in the enterprise. What used to be controlled within the company’s “four walls” is now spread across multiple partners, communities and individuals aroundthe globe. This implies that companies must think in different ways about the roles of senior management and the responsibilities of all employees.’

According to the report, CEOs believe that the general public has increasingly become a part of the corporate ecosystem and that their top communications executives (who were the sample poll for the study) must effectively engage and incorporate the public into the fold of values-based messaging. They  look for new thinking along two key dimensions:

1. How to collaborate with the public and internal audiences
2. How to clarify and disseminate the company’s values

Personal Credibility
CEOs emphasized personal qualities more than training in describing what it takes for managers and key personnel to succeed at the highest levels,  identifying the following as elements for building credibility:

• Intimate and detailed knowledge of the company
• Strong business knowledge
• Leadership characteristics or experience
• Breadth and depth of internal and external relationships

The CEOs of direct-to-consumer companies not only feel that consumers have taken a new and more in-depth interest in corporations, but that this has substantially increased the importance of reputation and strategic reputation management for their companies. They therefore have a  greater receptivity to communications as a driver of strategy, attributing the need for cohesive communications due to the complicated elements of foreign operations and cultural issues.

There is a strong push among CEOs for communications chiefs to bridge the perceived gap between the “soft skills” of communications and the numbers-based performance idioms of the boardroom. Strategic planning requires unique, fact-based perspectives including:

• Internal and external reputation tracking
• Analyses of company performance before and after events that impact reputation
• Reputation comparables or case studies

The most relevant piece in the article to me articulated that the converging forces of technology, global integration, multiplying stakeholders and the resulting greater need for transparency are the most important communications challenges facing 21st century companies: ‘We are no longer in control of our traditional spheres of professional activity. Indeed, all business functions are at the dawn of an era of radical de-professionalization. Communicators are uniquely positioned to become experts on the new art and science of organizational trust.’

The mandate of The Relationship Capital Institute is to aid and abett the necessary evolution exhibited in the findings so elegantly defined by the Arthur W. Page Society survey.