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68 Mapping the Field

concerning the organization’s strategy and operations (e.g.via annual reports,shareholder
meetings, etc.), while existing and prospective customers need to be supplied with
information about products and services (e.g. advertising, sales promotions, in-store
communications). Each of these stakeholder groups, on the basis of the stake(s) that
an individual holds in an organization, looks for and is interested in certain aspects
of the company’s operations. While the interests of stakeholders are intricately
varied, and at times even at odds with one another (e.g. staff redundancies are a blow
to the workforce, but may be favoured by shareholders and investors who have an
interest in the financial strength and continuity of the firm), it is important that an
organization provides each stakeholder group with specific information, yet at the
same time projects a unified, clear and single corporate identity to all of them.

Stakeholder management and identity

The issue of identity takes shape and becomes salient in the context of a stakeholder
management model of strategic management. An input–output model (Figure 3.1)
of strategic management, where a corporation’s strategies are wholly geared towards
shareholder or customer capitalism,in comparison,obviously does not force an orga-
nization to think about itself, about the business it is in, and about what it wants to
be known and appreciated for by all of its stakeholder groups beyond the financial
community or customers alone.The notion of identity, in other words, is central to
stakeholder management, as the following points from research and practice suggest:

• An individual may have more than one stakeholder role in relation to an organi-
zation, and ensuring that a consistent picture of the organization is sent out
avoids potential pitfalls that may occur when conflicting messages are sent out.
Employees, for instance, are often also consumers in the marketplace for the
products of the company that they themselves work for.When companies fail to
send out a consistent identity (and thus fail to match all their internal and exter-
nal communications), it threatens employees’ perceptions of the company’s
integrity: they are told one thing by management, but observe that a different
message is being sent to the marketplace.
• A sense of identity, and the core values that underpin it, provide an anchor
around which all activities and communications can be structured and carried
out. Everything a company says, makes or does leaves an impression with stake-
holders,or,put differently,‘communicates’in the broad sense of the word.Identity,
when permeating all of the diverse behaviours, communications campaigns and
products and services issued by the organization, facilitates the process of ensuring
that consistent messages are being sent out.
• As a result of the distinctiveness that an identity gives,it also helps stakeholders find
or recognize an organization. Identity, when consistently communicated, creates
awareness, triggers recognition, and may also instil confidence among stakeholder
groups, because these groups will have a clearer picture of the organization. 23
• Inside the organization a strong identity can help raise motivation and morale
among employees by establishing and perpetuating a ‘we’ feeling, and by allow-
ing people to identify with their organizations.