RIMS 2016

Manage Expectations, Manage Reputation

Molding the expectations of customers and shareholders through ERM is critical to reputation protection.
By: | April 13, 2016
Topics: Reputation | RIMS

The art of managing reputation risk really comes down to shaping the expectations of shareholders, customers, vendors, creditors and investors.

“Not an easy thing to do,” said Nir Kossovsky, chief executive officer, Steel City Re, speaking at the annual RIMS conference in San Diego on April 12.

“Managing expectations involves behavioral economics – shaping what people expect from you and then meeting those expectations.”

He said expectations typically revolve around six key areas: safety, ethics, quality, security, sustainability and innovation. Failing to meet any of those expectations creates vulnerability for a company, opening up an opportunity for shareholders or special interest activists to come after the board of directors as the culpable party.

Increasingly, directors and officers are the true casualties of reputation damage.

Dissatisfied customers or partners know that “the court of public opinion is much more effective than the court of law,” Kossovsky said, so they will bring allegations against the board and force a public response.

“Managing expectations involves behavioral economics – shaping what people expect from you and then meeting those expectations.” – Nir Kossovsky, chief executive officer, Steel City Re

The best way to mitigate reputation risk, then, is to proactively communicate the board’s awareness of a company’s exposures, and acknowledge its duties to deliver on expectations related to the six key areas.

“Communication is critical,” said Todd Marumoto, director of risk management, Mattel, Inc. “There needs to be some sense of a plan for how the board will respond to a reputation event.”

Without a quick response, the silence is filled by the white noise of unsubstantiated opinion, Kossovsky said. That weakens the board’s credibility.

“Facts are available without much of a down payment. Allegations brought against the board don’t necessarily have to be true and can’t always be validated.”

Conflicting expectations make reputation risk management even harder.

Customers expect, for example, near impossible standards of quality and customer service, while shareholders expect strong profit and growth, and creditors expect swift payment.

While many believe that marketing and press coverage can be the tool for the messaging needed to mold expectations through public perception, the most effective way to mitigate reputation risk is through enterprise risk management that strives for excellence, the speakers said.

In other words, expectations should be set by a company’s performance.

Kossovsky offered the example of BP, which claimed to be “beyond petroleum.”

Despite impressive initiatives to use cleaner energy, BP was still, in fact, heavily reliant on petroleum. The Deepwater Horizon spill of 2010 sparked so much anger because people expected BP to be above such environmentally dangerous accidents.

ExxonMobil, on the other hand, acknowledged to its shareholders that a spill was always a real threat, but demonstrated the steps it was taking to minimize the risk. Shareholders thus had more realistic expectations of the company and are harder to disappoint.

Presenting to the C-Suite

Risk managers can bring the importance of reputation risk to the C-suites’ attention by demonstrating its financial impact.

“Expenses could come from having to replace a vendor, from a government penalty, litigation and class action lawsuits, or having to implement a new management process,” Marumoto said.

Overall, costs associated with remediating a reputational event can be two to seven times higher than costs related to the operational failure that caused the reputation damage in the first place.

“With reputation risk, it’s not always about right or wrong, but about getting the right outcome to satisfy shareholders and customers.” — Todd Marumoto, director of risk management, Mattel, Inc.

“It affects every line item of the P&L,” Kossovsky said.

The impact on D&O effectiveness will also certainly grab senior management’s attention.

“A typical board member makes about $250,000 per year to sit on the board for a term usually of about three years, and he’s usually sitting on three different boards,” Kossovsky said.

“He’s looking at a personal loss of over $2 million” if a reputational hit leads to him being asked to step down from those boards.

According to Marumoto, risk managers can influence outcomes of a reputational event by working internally with investor relations and marketing to ensure the company is sending a consistent message, and to develop a coordinated response plan.

“Ultimately, you have to be responsible for all things that pass in front of you,” he said. “Partner with vendors you trust, be transparent in your efforts to mitigate risks, and develop relationships with government agencies.

“With reputation risk, it’s not always about right or wrong, but about getting the right outcome to satisfy shareholders and customers.”

Katie Dwyer is a freelance editor and writer based out of Philadelphia. She can be reached at [email protected].

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