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110 Corporate Communications in Practice

actions of such powerful stockholders may imply the removal of senior executives,
managers of the company urgently need to attend to their concerns.

Together, the three attributes of legitimacy, power and urgency, and the stakeholder
typology provided, allows managers to classify the stakeholder groups of an organi-
zation, and to determine which stakeholder claims require attention and/or action. In
a nutshell, the typology provides an insight into which stakeholder groups hold valid
and urgent claims, and have the power to exercise their will, and thus require the
organization to respond to their claims or rather refrain from doing so. 21

Together,a consideration of the organization-environment,market environment,and
stakeholders provides a basis for the strategic analysis of an organization. Such an
understanding must take the future into account. Is the current strategy capable of
dealing with changes taking place in the organization’s environment? Is it likely to
deliver the expected or desired results? If so, in what respects, and if not, why not? It
is unlikely that there will be a complete match between current strategy and the
picture emerging from the strategic analysis.The extent to which there is a mismatch
here is the extent of the strategic problem facing the organization. It may be that the
adjustment that is required is minimal, or it may be that there is a need for a more
fundamental realignment of strategy. The strategic problem also indicates whether
strategic adjustments concern the corporate, market or operational levels, and the
extent to which it is a communications problem.
It is thus important that all of the three types of analyses mentioned above are
carried out, so that a comprehensive analysis and overview of the strategic issues
faced by the organization in relation to the stakeholders and markets in its environ-
ment is provided for, and the strategic problem can be more accurately identified.As
such, from this strategic analysis, it should be possible to identify the key strategic
actions that need to be taken and the role that communications is to play in the over-
all strategy of the organization.

Phase 2: Strategic intent

Strategic analysis is concerned with understanding the position of the organization
in its environment. Strategic intent proceeds from this analysis and involves the
formulation of a strategic vision, around which possible courses of action are
formulated, evaluated and eventually chosen. In other words, strategic intent sets the
general direction, often articulated in objectives, and defines the general patterns of
actions that will be taken to achieve these objectives.As Hamel and Prahalad put it:

On the one hand, strategic intent envisions a desired leadership position and establishes the
criterion the organization will use to chart its progress … At the same time, strategic intent
is more than simply unfettered ambition.The concept also encompasses an active manage-
ment process that includes:focusing the organization’s attention on the essence of winning;
motivating people by communicating the value of the target; leaving room for individual