Dealing with an Angry Public

Some portion of the American public will react negatively to almost any new corporate initiative, as Disney discovered when it announced its plans to build an historical theme park in Virginia. Similarly, government efforts to change policy or shift budget priorities are invariably met with stiff resistance. In this enormously practical book, Lawrence Susskind and Patrick Field analyze scores of both private and public-sector cases, as well as crisis scenarios such as the Alaskan oil spill, the silicone breast implant controversy, and nuclear plant malfunction at Three Mile Island. They show how resistance to both public and private initiatives can be overcome by a mutual gains approach involving face-to-face negotiation, a strategy applied successfully by over fifteen hundred executives and officials who have attended Professor Susskind's MIT-Harvard "Angry Public" seminars.Susskind and Field outline the six key elements of this approach in order to help business and government leaders negotiate, rather than fight, with their critics. In the process, they show how to identify who the public is, whose concerns to address first, which people and organizations must be convinced of the legitimacy of action taken, and how to assess and respond to different types of anger effectively. Acknowledging the crucial role played by the media in shaping public perception and understanding, Susskind and Field suggest a way to develop media interaction which is consistent with the six mutual gains principles, and also discuss the type of leadership that corporate and government managers must provide in order to combine these ideas into a useful whole.We all need to be concerned about a society in which the public's concerns, fears and anger are not adequately addressed. When corporate and government agencies must spend crucial time and resources on rehashing and defending each decision they make, a frustrated and angry public contributes to the erosion of confidence in our basic institutions and undermines our competitiveness in the international marketplace. In this valuable book, Susskind and Field have produced a strong, clear framework which will help reduce these hidden costs for hundreds of executives, managers, elected and appointed officials, entrepreneurs, and the public relations, legal and other professionals who advise them.

ContentsAcknowledgmentsChapter I. IntroductionA New Way of Interacting with the PublicWhy We All Should Be Concerned About Angry PublicsThe Public Is Not Easily AppeasedThe Typical Approach to Public Relations Does Not WorkA Different Approach Is NeededChapter II. Why Is the Public Angry?What Is Anger?Why Are People Angry?Rational and Irrational AngerTypical Responses to an Angry PublicDealing with an Angry Public: The Conventional WisdomChapter III. The Mutual-Gains ApproachThe Mutual-Gains Approach: Six PrinciplesThe Old Plastics FactoryBackgroundApplying for a WaiverFurther StudyThe Public PresentationA Disaster ThreatensThe FalloutChapter IV. Accidents Will HappenThree Mile Island: To Tell or Not to TellThe First Day: March 28, 1979The Second Day: March 29, 1979The Third Day: March 30, 1979The Final Days: March 31 and April 1, 1979Telling the Truth: The Mutual-Gains ApproachThe Advantages of Disclosure Outweigh the DisadvantagesAct in a Trustworthy FashionSelect a Capable SpokespersonEnlist Support on the OutsideGovernment and Business Should, Can, and Do CooperateThe Exxon Valdez: When Paying Out Doesn't Pay OffCleaning UpA Modest ProposalExxon's ResponseMitigation EffortsCompensation for DamagesThe AftermathDoing It Differently: The Mutual-Gains ApproachThe Company's Failure to Accept ResponsibilityThe Company's Failure to Establish Clear Lines of CommunicationThe Company's Failure to First Mitigate, Then Compensate (and Ultimately Leave People Better Off)The Company's Failure to Convene an Effective Problem-Solving ForumConclusionChapter V. Risky BusinessWhat Is Risk?Assessing RiskPerceiving RiskCommunicating RiskRisky BusinessThe Breast Implant ControversyThe Story UnfoldsThe Story Is RetoldWhat Should the Company Do?Implant RuptureDrawing Conclusions in the Face of UncertaintyKnowing Your Product and Presenting It Truthfully: The Mutual-Gains ApproachSet Clear Performance StandardsMinimize the Risk, Not the Concerns of OthersMake Commitments You Can KeepSeek to Know, Not to HideEngage Stakeholders in Making Risky DecisionsMake Contingent CommitmentsChapter VI. When Values CollideWhat Are Values?Why Are Value Conflicts So Difficult to Resolve?A Model for Deescalating Intractable ConflictsHydro-Quebec and the Cree: Clashing CulturesHydro-Quebec's Response to the CreeTalking With, Not At, the Other: The Mutual-Gains ApproachSeek Common Principles -- Despite Seemingly Stark DifferencesConsider That You Might Be WrongConsider Substantial Community Improvement Through a Fair Process, Not Compensation Only for the FewIgnoring the Principles of the Mutual-Gains Approach Intensifies Cultural ConflictAnimal RightsListening Whether You Agree or Not: The Mutual-Gains ApproachExamine History to Better Understand TodaySeek Reason Amid Emotion, Not Reason at the Expense of EmotionRecognize Diversity on the Other SideBeware the Pitfalls of "Rights Talk"Seek Forums for DialogueChapter VII. The MediaThe Conventional Wisdom of Media RelationsThe Media as AdversaryThe Media as a ToolThe Media Can Be ControlledMedia Policy by DefaultThe Mutual-Gains Approach to Dealing with the MediaTake into Account the Interests of the MediaTell the Media What You Know and Don't KnowMake Available People with Authority Who Can Share Their Views OpenlyWork to Convince Media They Have an Educative RoleUse a Neutral to Speak in a Single VoiceIn a Consensus-Building Process, Establish Ground Rules to Guide Media InteractionsUse Additional Means of CommunicationSet an Example for the Media to FollowSummaryChapter VIII. Principled LeadershipDoing the Right ThingIntegrity, Honesty, and TrustHow to Inspire TrustSharing, Listening, and LearningWhat Leaders ValueLeadership and InstitutionsConcluding RemarksNotesBibliographyIndex