Non-Market Dimensions of Strategy

Non-Market Dimensions of Strategy

Information obtained from our issue analysis framework can also be used to formulate non-market strategy.  A non-market strategy includes four basic dimensions: 

• Issue Positioning
• Influence Opportunities
• Timing Stakeholder Interactions
• Strategic Responses

Let's take a moment to look at each of these.

Issue Positioning

Given the foregoing strategic and issue analyses, have you selected an issue position that is not only congruent with organizational objective, but also feasible? That is, the bargaining problem modeled in the issue analysis stage provides some guidance/idea about the range of feasible outcomes.  If a desired outcome is feasible, then there exists some scope to influence the bargain in a way to increase the likelihood of that desired outcome.  But if the desired outcome is not feasible then resources expended to influence the outcome are simply wasted.  In this case, an organization should consider modifying it’s desired position, or abandoning attempts to influence the issue.

Influence Opportunities

There are two types of influence opportunities--direct and indirect. Each of these is organized around some central questions as listed below.

Direct

• How can our organization become and be perceived as more authoritative? (i.e., is there a role we can take in decision making forums?  Committees?  Can we build or promote some intellectual/expert capability for informal authority?  And so on.)
• How can my organization become and be perceived as more organizationally mobile and capable? (i.e., Does someone in our organization "own" this issue?  Do they have the resources to organize to affect the outcome?)
• How can this issue be perceived as more relevant to my organization?
• How can my organization be perceived as more resolved to achieve their desired outcome?

Please Note:  We don’t propose tactics to substantively affect organizational "relevance" or "resolve" because they are determined by the organization’s broader goals.

Indirect

• What actions by our organization impact the influence of key stakeholders?  
• Are there opportunities to increase or decrease key stakeholders’ influence via their:  relevance?  Resolve?  (Note: from an ethical standpoint, I am comfortable in advising clients on how to affect counterparty preferences for an issue outcome (i.e., relevance and resolve)  I am not comfortable (in my practice and teaching) in advising clients about how to affect counterparty authority and organizational mobility.  Though, in principle, we could discuss those as well, as that is how several "three-letter" intelligence agencies do operate.)

Timing Stakeholder Interactions

• Given an understanding of stakeholder interrelations, what is the most effective sequence of interactions to realize opportunities for direct and indirect influence?

Strategic Response

• How do we expect other stakeholders to act?
• How do we expect other stakeholders to react to our strategies?
• What additional actions do we need to plan to react to stakeholder responses?