Michael D. Moberly – January 11, 2024 – Business Intangible Asset Strategy & Risk Mitigation – Founder, Business Intangible Asset Blog kpstrat is a Business Intangible Asset Strategy – Risk Mitigation Collaborative.
This post focuses on reputational risks incurred by businesses and/or leadership rising from nefariously inclined – performative shouters, shouts, and shouting that include bludgeoning claims of conspiratorial induced motives, associations, alliances, coverups, and/or revelations of illicit behavior.
Every business leader whom I am familiar, does not want ‘the noise’ to define them or the business, brand, products, services, and mission they represent.
Objectives for this series of posts about business reputation risk (a.) awareness, (b.) mitigation, (c.) actionable clarity to the shouters, shouts, and shouting, and (d.) treat business – brand reputation as ‘mission essential’ assets which are intangible (non-physical). Home – kpstrat
There are more indicators and more examples, today, (duh), that more businesses leaders, management teams, boards, and investors (across sectors) are paying more attention to their reputational risk exposures, e.g., who, what, when, where, how, and why.
Business leaders attaching more importance to reputation risks percolates along a continuum of the abruptness and speed which shouters’ shouting…
- can emerge asymmetrically, publicly, and virally.
- is nefariously – maliciously applied in conveying their
- introduces fear, uncertainty, and/or doubt (FUD factors).
- receptivity of supporters.
- is treated in the ‘media industry’. (Shannahan)
- effects a business, a brand, a transaction, and/or a leader, beyond an expected denial.
There are numerous resources readers can reliably use to guide-frame a business’s reaction – response to external reputation risks. BLOG LINK
Two consistently insightful resources for reputation risk awareness, mitigation, response, and reaction strategies is research and work of…
- James Shanahan (Dean, Media School, Indiana University – Bloomington) for domestic perspectives about conspiracy theories, James Shanahan: People: The Media School (indiana.edu)
- Ian Bremmer, President, Eurasia Group, for international perspectives.Eurasia Group | Ian Bremmer
The various ways Shanahan integrates (a.) examples of conspiracy theories (current and historical) implications, (b.) social – economic reactions, (c.) origins – evolution, and (d.) social-psychological products of ‘conspiracy theory’ receptivity, is useful for…
- framing – guiding ‘conspiratorial laced’ reputation risks.
- lessening business vulnerability and potential criticality (should reputation risks materialize.
- elevating durability, resilience, and a business’s ability to recoup – recover with their ‘mission essential’ intangible assets reasonably intact.
The uncompromising tone many shouters frequently apply frequently include gamut of inventively spurious affronts, and inuendo. Same of which may be ideological, political, social, sexual, religious, etc. They are designed to appeal to, align with, and perhaps advance followers-supporters existing suspicions, doubts, and uncertainties, and even fears. When this occurs, it is challenging for business leader reactions – responses to remain dignified and mannered.
This is one way which the resources noted in this post can be useful, e.g., offering means to…
- observe various types of conspiracy theories, be they political – ideological, pseudo-science, paranormal investigations, or about UFOs.
- examine communication controversies that have developed around the emergence and impact of the COVID-19 virus.
- consider the nature of collectively held truths in a world where many viewpoints and beliefs are demonstrably inaccurate.
- inspect media industry sectors which have risen to cater to audiences interested in these ideas.
- posit whether there are potential media models that can deal with increasing belief in falsehoods.
A respectful reminder, we are obliged to recognize that (business – personal) reputations are culminations of perceptions, beliefs, and opinions, views, and interpretations acquired – held by customers, users, stakeholders, investors, and employees, etc.
- Reputations of people – businesses though, remain fairly-abstract constructs. That is, reputations are non-physical and intangible, not physical, tangible, or fixed.
- Consequently, most people are inclined to assess – measure reputations using qualitative (not quantitative) scales, e.g., ranges of good to bad, etc.
For these reasons, I discourage business leaders from being quick to dismiss or minimize reputational risks as mere inconvenient distractions because today same can be delivered audaciously and asymmetrically at the will, timing, and scheming of others and interpreted in accordance with pre-disposed assurance of broad audience receptivity.
As ethically repugnant as some nefariously shouted reputation risks can be to business leaders, management teams, operating cultures, boards, and investors, et al…we are (fiduciarily) obliged to consider that lurking within the shouting, may be ‘kernels of legitimacy’.
The Business Intangible Asset Blog was created in 2006 and now includes 1100+ topic specific posts intended to provide readers, ala business leaders, management teams, R&D administrators, boards, and investors, etc., with reliable insights to the application, valuation, competitiveness, revenue generation, and sustainability contributions of intangible assets.
Posts at Business Intangible Asset Blog are intended to draw attention to the development, application, management, safeguards, and risk mitigation of business’s ‘mission essential’ intangible assets.
Readers are respectfully invited to explore other – similar posts, along with books, pamphlets, and papers available @ ‘Business Intangible Asset Blog’ and kpstrat.com.
