TEACHING THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF THE GR FUNCTION

Corporate government relations is viewed by many schools as a subject someone else should teach. Schools and colleges for the most part don’t teach government relations . Some may offer a course on public policy but it is usually filled with theories and philosophy, and it really doesn’t address the nuts and bolts of what the GR function entails.

Courses on offer are mostly designed to help students think analytically about the ways in which government and business interact with one another: How business and government are organized and how they seek to influence one another;  how government policies affect the competitive positions of individual firms and industries and how firms and industries compete to influence such policies; the ways in which government policies affect economic growth and the ways in which governments seek to achieve a variety of non-economic objectives.

However,

Upon graduating, business people and students know little about the corporate GR function. They have little understanding about the role of corporations in the development of policy and  the interplay of competing interest groups in setting that policy.

They have no idea about developing a strategic government relations plan, that provides an overall structure and roadmap to measure the GR practice. They don’t know the components of a GR plan such as relationships, issues and messaging.

Relationships: This component includes identifying critical stakeholder relationships for the company and assigning responsibility for those relationships within the company. These relationships may include policymakers, trade associations, think tanks, universities, customers, and other stakeholders. Identifying and assessing whom / which organizations should be included in the relationship map, given the sector, goals, global footprint, etc. Tracking and measuring tools for following these relationships.

Issues: This component involves identifying key policy issues for the company and establishing goals, objectives, and timelines for each issue. For example, if a company is interested in issues at the EU level, strategies could range from monitoring an issue through a trade association to developing an advocacy plan to address an issue.

Messaging: Developing core messaging that gives policymakers an understanding of what the priorities, vision, values, and goals are. Providing  a common theme that tells a company’s story/profile and describe the issues that a company is concerned about and seeks to address.

Metrics: The development of metrics to measure success and outcomes for the Government Relations plan is equally as important as the plan itself. There are many ways to measure progress and success and tailor-made tools can be developed to a company’s business to measure progress and results both during and after implementation.

Process: The plan should lay out a regular timeline by which the plan will be reviewed and ratified in collaboration with key internal and/or external partners and advisors. There are many successful methods by which this review may be accomplished – e.g., internal cross-functional teams, external advisory groups, senior executive direct review, etc. .

Students need to be provided specialized GR courses such as:

• Introduction to GR
• GR Theory
• GR Toolbox (Campaigns, Advocacy Plans etc.)
• Managing the GR function
• Lobbying, Advocacy and Ethics
• Alliance and Stakeholder Relations
• Strategic Communication Planning
• Cases in GR

Any serious GR Programme should combine political theory with practical Government Relations applications and case studies to help graduates understand and work with the public governance system in the EU and graduates need to be thoroughly prepared for entry-level jobs as public affairs and GR  practitioners in public– and private–sector organizations, associations, cause–related consultancies and professional service firms, as well as for positions on the political staff of individual politicians and their parties.