Taking a stand

When should an organisation take a stance on a social or political issue?

Balancing business and societal imperatives is front of mind for management and corporate communications. My view is that there has been a lot of soft research since the COVID-19 pandemic that makes the case for organisations sharing their views on political and societal issues.

An increased focus on corporate purpose and social responsibility creates tension for the corporate communications function. Business drivers must be balanced with value-driven leadership.

We interviewed 20 senior communicators at organisations including Accenture, Adobe, BP, BT Group, Deloitte, Ford, Legal & General, Microsoft, Oracle, PayPal, Shell, Shopify, and Workday, on behalf of NewsWhip for a report published this week.

Influence through Insight explores the role of public relations and corporate communications in supporting management with planning and insight.

Views were polarised between staying quiet and speaking out. While some communication teams adopt more partisan stances on social and political issues, others argue for an apolitical position.

We've codified this decision-making framework from the interviews.

As a next step, we plan to work with NewsWhip to investigate this issue more deeply. It’s a highly relevant issue for corporate communications in the UK and US, with upcoming elections and public opinion increasingly polarised.