Associations
and Networks (includig competitors
Communicating to External Stakeholders
Organizations
have many concerns, needs, and goals in common with their competitors. That is why
professionals and organizationions that regularly compete head-to-head in the marketplace
often band together as members of associations.
It is also
important to remember that competitors in any specific sector of activity usually have more in
common with one another than they do with their beneficiaries.
Since
members of one organization quite often wind up workingor have workedfor a
competitor in the same sector of activity, there are personal as well as professional links that
draw people together. After all, everyone likes to talk shop. There are few
places better suited to talking shop than a gathering of people in the same sector of activity.
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How You Talk to the Competition
Aside from
belonging to the same association, you might not think that you spend a lot of time
talking to your competition. You are actually doing so almost every day. Not only that,
but you are also telling them quite a bit about you and how you are doing. They are doing
the same.
Associations at Work: Lobbying
Trade and professional organizations also offer your sector of activity a unified voice when dealing with politicians, governments, and regulatory agencies. They can act as a lobbying group to make sure that your specific needs and concerns are recognized and addressed. In the same way that a organizations CEO has more prestige and impact and gets more attention when speaking than a junior executive would, the head of a trade associationoften a CEO of a major member organizationhas more prestige and impact and gets more attention when speaking than a single CEO would in similar circumstances.
This is
true when talking to the government and to the news media.
The
American League of Lobbyists, with more than 500 members representing organizations, trade
associations, public interest groups, labor unions, and law and lobbying organizations,
points out that the practice of lobbying is an ancient art that is as old as
government itself.
Simply put, lobbying is advocacy of a point of view, either by groups or
individuals, the league explains. A special interest is nothing more than an
identified group expressing a point of viewbe it colleges and universities,
churches, charities, public interest or environmental groups, senior citizens
organizations, even state, local or foreign governments. While most people think of
lobbyists only as paid professionals, there are also many independent, volunteer
lobbyists.
The
American League of Lobbyists says that lobbying involves more than just persuading
legislators to vote or act in a certain way. It also includes researching and analyzing
legislation or regulatory proposals; monitoring and reporting on developments; attending
government or regulatory hearings; working with coalitions interested in the same issues;
and then educating not only government officials but also employees and organizational officers
as to the implications of various changes.
What
most lay people regard as lobbyingthe actual communication with government
officialsrepresents the smallest portion of a lobbyists time; a far greater
proportion is devoted to the other aspects of preparation, information and communication.
Lobbying is a legitimate and necessary part of our democratic political process.
Government decisions affect both people and organizations, and information must be
provided in order to produce informed decisions. Public officials cannot make fair and
informed decisions without considering information from a broad range of interested
parties. All sides of an issue must be explored in order to produce equitable government
policies.
Since
trade and professional associations are so involved in lobbying, it makes sense for
organizations to be part of the effort, to make sure that their individual organizational
concerns are also heard along with those of their entire sector of activity.