The Yin & Yang of Reputation Management: Eight Principles for Strategic Stakeholder Value Creation and Risk Management

Unlike any other book on this topic, it argues that reputation is NOT based on Public Relations or marketing, but rather is determined by each stakeholder differently according to their own needs and interests. The goal of reputation is to create and preserve long-term value by meeting or exceeding the expectations of value of the organisation’s different stakeholders, both internal and external. And reputation and risk both begin inside the organisation with its values and culture.

The Yin and Yang of Reputation Management focuses on the interdependence of all factors associated with value creation opportunities and the preservation of value. And it requires a new focus on Governance – the ‘G’ in ESG - because “corporate governance is of growing importance to any company wishing to establish and execute a coherent integrity agenda that encompasses a company’s values, regulatory obligations and voluntary commitments.”

“This major shift requires organizations to break down departmental divisions and create more deliberate alignment and collaboration across critical functions, including ESG/sustainability, public affairs, risk, ethics and compliance.” Why? Because of, “Widespread public concern about corporate hypocrisy and “greenwashing””, and because, “Companies are pressured as never before to take stands on social and environmental issues, but if rhetoric is not accompanied by concrete, measurable action, allegations of hypocrisy will continue to rise.” These are the views of the World Economic Forum.

Such views illustrate the value of practicing governance, and considering related risks, through the lens of reputation management. Opportunities must also be identified using the same approach. These are arguments made in the Yin and Yang of Reputation Management, a principles-led approach and practical recommendations, including ways to align functions and divisions, plus advice on how to get started.

This book connects the dots you may not have realised need to be connected to have an organisation that is the most reputable amongst its peers – beginning with values and culture, and including governance, brand, strategy, and risk management. When harnessed together properly, these are powerful assets for the organisation. When left in their current silos, to battle for attention and budgets, their value is squandered.

The book is a wake-up call for boards of directors. It advocates radical changes to the way organisations are structured, to overcome the risks produced by siloes, and to facilitate integrative thinking about the creation and preservation of value. It is also a primer on how an organisation can become more systemic rather than mechanistic, seeing the “total picture.”
It offers a unique framework for how an organisation can better govern itself to address the ever-changing needs and expectations of its stakeholders and society at large. And it argues the future of governance requires a stewardship mindset.