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The observatory was created to collect the commitment of the companies in defining joint measurement systems that make it possible to quantify what activities and strategies of those departments contribute and to what extent to the performance of the entities to which they belong.
Promoted by both organisations, the main objective of the observatory will be to provide practical measurement solutions to professionals in public affairs and its organizations, with the ambition to turn the measure into a discipline in which it would be a national and international benchmark.
The announcement preceded the presentation of the second edition of the study ‘The measured value i public affairs in Spain‘, prepared by both organizations and presented at an event at the ONCE Foundation headquarters in Madrid in front of more than 70 professionals. Continuing the task of the first edition, published just 3 years ago and pioneering in Spain, the study was prepared based on the responses of 27 Public Affairs managers in companies, associations and entities in strategic sectors such as energy, i.e. the technology, finance, food and health sectors.
Because of the vision and experience of these professionals it is possible to x-ray these departments, studying their composition and how they fit into the structure of the organization. So, for example, the investment in this area over the past year is analyzed, which has grown, according to 44% of those interviewed: of them, 33% show increases in investment of more than 5%, and for 11%, investment the growth is less than those 5 percentage points. Of the rest, only 4% recognize a reduction in the budget, while 52% indicate that the investment has been maintained.
The greater commitment to medium-sized teams is also significant, between 4 and 10 people in 39% of cases (in the previous study they were 20%), which shows a commitment to outsourcing services. public affairs.
More measurement systems
Regarding the measurement itself, the study shows significant professionalism in the sector thanks, in part, to the incorporation of the methodology to measure the activities and their impact on reputation, business and the definition of sustainability strategies. In this sense, and compared to the 2020 edition, professionals in the sector claim to use a greater variety of measurement systems and their corresponding indicators more often, and show their preferences among them. from among the Outputs (activities), respondents indicate the number of activities they participate in, such as meetings or events. in relation to Takes out or perceptions, the respondents focus on the best of the reputation, and in terms Results (results), the interviewees focus on contributing to turn the strategic plan into reality. Likewise, tax savings or improvements in operating results are presented as the best return on investment for those surveyed.
After presenting these details and announcing the creation of the observatory, the session concluded with a panel discussion moderated by executives from both companies and in which Public Affairs practice leaders representing different organizational profiles were given a voice. Fernando Riaño, Director of Institutional Relations and Sustainability of ONCE Social Group, Cristina Feliu, Global Head of Communications, Branding and Public Affairs of Ferroglobe, and Beatriz Herrera, Director of Institutional Relations and Sustainability at Mahou San Miguelthey shared their views on the professionalism of the sector and how their departments are taking measures to optimize and add value to their functions.
For Ángel Alloza, CEO of Corporate Excellence – Center for Reputational Leadership“This second edition and the observatory’s announcement is a turning point in both organizations’ commitment to measurement as a strategic tool. Since we started our collaboration, more than 4 years ago, we attended events with a global impact such as the pandemic or the crisis in Ukraine, which only showed how important it is for organizations the social and political context that read and know how to adapt them. .with him. These stages of change show, more than ever, the importance of organizations having tools that are as standardized as possible to measure the actions of the departments responsible for strategic decision-making..”
Javier Valiente, Managing Partner in Spain and Portugal for Political Intelligencebelieves “We are facing a milestone for a sector that has seen great growth and is now challenged to establish itself and value its contribution. With the creation of the observatory, we will be able to provide a continuous and deep vision of the contribution of Public Affairs and the role of those departments within the structures of each organization, which will allow us to draw lessons and conclusions. now just to conclude. This knowledge will be decisive to professionalize the practice, providing objectivity and removing bias in the measurement of intangibles; moving towards consensus models that can be applied to the widest possible groups or sectors“.