Reputation Expert Hanna-Mari Aula: Reputation management is a comprehensive endeavor
In a special episode of the T-Media Academy, our senior expert, Dr. Hanna-Mari Aula, who holds a doctorate in reputation management, explains what is most important to keep in mind when managing reputation right now.
An organization’s reputation is a holistic concept. There must be a clear understanding within the organization of what reputation is and how it is built in order to manage it effectively.
According to Hanna-Mari Aulan, preparing for a holistic approach starts with understanding what kind of reputation the organization has right now. Reputation research provides the organization with the tools to evaluate its own operations, see how its actions are perceived by stakeholders, and find solutions for moving forward.
“The first step is identifying the issues. It is impossible to know how an organization is perceived externally without finding out from its stakeholders. With data analytics and the right analytical methods, you can break down the situation in greater depth and identify the key areas of reputation management—that is, the issues to which the organization should pay special and priority attention,” says Aula.
The importance of solidarity is highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic
The past year has shifted people’s priorities and influenced the focus of their reputations. Aula believes that the importance of responsibility and accountability, in their many forms, will be emphasized now and in the future.
“Although the coronavirus crisis has physically separated us, it has also, in a way, brought us closer together. We share the experience of something truly special and emotionally unique. And, after all, we can only overcome this crisis through a collective effort—on a global scale.”
Our responsibility for one another is now taking on a new form, a trend that is also evident in the operations of companies and other organizations.
We humans play many different roles in relation to organizations. We are buyers and consumers of products and services, private investors in companies, participants in collaborative networks, and decision-makers. Above all, we are employees and key contributors to our organizations’ reputations.
“Taking responsibility for one another is, above all, a matter of responsible decision-making and action within organizations. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, our tolerance for irresponsibility may well already be at its limit,” Aula reflects.
Reputation is a matter for the entire organization
According to Aulan, reputation must be widely recognized within the organization in a way that fosters a shared understanding. Reputation is built in everyday life, through individual interactions both within and outside the organization. Reputation is not solely the responsibility of management, even though they are the ones who steer it.
“People encounter organizations in a wide variety of settings: in media columns, during customer service interactions, in conversations with friends, in casual moments, and in social media posts. These points of contact exist at different levels of the organization, but they are all significant,” says Aula.
“Reputation management becomes much easier if all employees understand what their role is in the bigger picture and how their work and actions impact the organization’s reputation and success.”
Hanna-Mari Aulan's Reputation Management Checklist
1. Assess where your organization stands right now. You can only move forward from where you are right now. Our environment and values are changing as a result of the pandemic, and we are facing some very fundamental questions. Organizations are now being evaluated and interpreted in a new way, through a fresh lens.
2. Analyze your reputation in greater detail. Data analytics can help you identify the aspects of your reputation that are most important to your organization. Every organization’s reputation is unique, and therefore it must be managed individually.
3. Get the entire organization on board with reputation management. Reputation management isn’t just a matter for management. Although it originates with the board and executive management, the entire staff participates in reputation management. It is worth keeping reputation management front and center within the organization and remembering to also give credit to the staff. We all appreciate recognition, and credit for building a positive reputation belongs to the entire organization.
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Text: Hanna-Mari Aula, Tuuli Pohjola
Video: Vesa Koivunen
