Michael D. Moberly, Principal, Founder, kpstrat

The word “truth” makes me nervous, says Kathleen Hall Jamieson, University of Pennsylvania. 

Readers are obliged (going forward) to recognize…when someone – some entity puts forth an ‘alternative – optional’ truth with a malicious intent to adversely affect a business’s reputation, brand, a product – service, or person…

• likely there will be (fluctuating) percentages of current – prospective consumers, customers, users, clients, investors, and stakeholders, et al,
• which may, for various reasons, be receptive to hearing – interpreting same conveyed with a (conventional) capital T, for truth, Jamieson adds.

For readers of the Business Intangible Asset Blog who variously contribute to safeguarding – mitigating risks to business reputations – brands, we are now, unarguably…

• obliged (fiduciarily) to avoid framing – relying on escalating offensive and defensive repertoire of tweaked ‘public relations’ conventions, i.e.,

1. engaging in series of social media ‘thrusts and perries’ ala win – lose ‘voice and credibility stifling’ debates of (by this time) elusive facts and/or corrections to perceived – alternative facts and/or truths, which may have been purposefully – maliciously generated (executed, introduced) via misinformation murmurs, and/or
2. presume already existing – potentially risky (online, social media, business specific) content can be miraculously – permanently erased and/or defended.

Its unlikely either convention (above)is a less sustainable enterprise-wide strategy for (a.) mitigating (in advance) or (b.) addressing (ex post facto),

• adverse cascading effects to business reputation – brand stemming from purposefully – maliciously executed misinformation.

There are ‘truths’ throughout our respective universes, Jamieson notes, ala truths about physics, mathematics, and science, etc., as there are “truths” within  religious universes with respect to presuppositional things which may be treated (recognized, believed) as true.

If – when someone argues – posits something is ‘true’, which adversely affects a business’s reputation and/or brand, perhaps initiated by an economic – competitive advantage adversary or ideological antagonist – opponent…

• there are percentages of consumers, customers, clients, investors, stakeholders (current and/or prospective) who may be receptive – inclined to,
• view (treat) same as (a.) an initial, perhaps irreversible finality, and/or (b.) introduction of doubt regarding a particular (targeted) product, service, process, or person, etc.

Unfortunately, these – similar business risk circumstances (adversely affecting reputation and/or brand) materialize now as inevitabilities, not mere vulnerabilities, or probabilities with manageable criticalities ex post facto.

Increasingly (routinely) business reputation – brand risks are asymmetric, challenging, time consuming, momentum stifling, and costly endeavors to stifle, reverse, and recoup adverse cascading effects ex post facto…

• presumed (turn on – turn off) ease of doing only when risks materialize, is seldom an enviable position or replicable reality.

Correctly, rightfully, and unfortunately, when – if risk to business reputation – brand surface from…

• truths, injurious realities, and/or objective observations, some of which are

variously embedded in a business’s operating culture – demeanor.

kpstrat services are intended – designed to be proactive – going forward, and less for mitigating reputation – brand risks which are in some stage of materialization and cascade.

The perspectives conveyed in this blog post, is relevant for business leadership to frame (guide, resource, and assess) their efforts to safeguard – mitigate risks which can adversely affect a business’s reputation and/or brand, especially when…

• risks are being conveyed – executed (externally) as representing a truth, but

which may not reflect most of the (our) knowledge and experiences.

Going forward, its’ mission essential for leadership to considerwhen – if reputation – brand risks are conceptualized, resourced, and executed primarily as,

• external misinformation initiatives which can be consistently – convincingly countered via ‘amending, stifling, and/or mediating an adverse voice,

1. there are also some potentially calamitous hazards for business leadership who may hold this conventional perspective for (presumably) managing new – asymmetric arrays of risk affecting businesses irrespective of sector.

• one of which is leadership, and potentially, customers, clients, users, consumers, investors, and stakeholders (current, prospective),
  • may feel inclined, relative to their interests and/or exist strategies, to forego further exploration of facts, truths, realities.

A ‘mission essential’ objective to reputation – brand risk mitigation (going forward) is deliberatively reaching consensus on more sure-footed and evidentiarily reliable (basis) for sustainable ‘business risk’ decision making + outcomes in-the-midst of environments of asymmetric risk materialization,

• not inhibit, slow, or perhaps present additional – variations of risk to rational – objective due diligence.

A respectful reminder…this post, and others at ‘Business Intangible Asset Blog’ are about ‘business things intangible’ and about safeguarding – mitigating risk to business reputations and brands (intangible assets) nothing more, nothing less.

It is kpstrat’s view, a not insignificant percentage of risks posed to business reputations and/or brands (today, and for the foreseeable future) are – will be variously induced – conveyed via arguable continuums of truth and misinformation.

How business leadership frame (reputation – brand) risk mitigation efforts and align same with response (to asymmetric risk materialization) in advance…

• irrespective of sector, size, product, services offered, or location,
• will likely be ‘mission essential’ insofar sustaining competitiveness, revenue generation capability, and (business brand – reputation) valuation.

Go deeper on this matter in subsequent – previous posts. Please enjoy.

Respectfully, readers are invited to explore other – similar posts, books, and papers available @ ‘Business Intangible Asset Blog’ and https://kpstrat.com