PERCEPTION
MANAGEMENT: AN ACTIVE STRATEGY FOR MARKETING AND DELIVERING
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, BUSINESS SOPHISTICATION, AND COMMUNICATION SUCCESSES
Ronald J.
Stupak, Ph.D.
Executive
Vice President
Senior
Consultant
EMCO, LLC
Introduction
“What in context beguiles,
out of context mortifies.” David Wayne
During the past several years, whenever I have been involved with small,
liberal arts colleges, I have heard the same vacuous refrains from faculty,
administrators, and members of Boards of Trustees over and over again:
"We’re America’s best kept secret.” “Our faculty is absolutely the best.”
“We’re the (Harvard, Princeton, Smith…) of Southern Pennsylvania.” “Our traditions
are what make us attractive to parents and students.” “If it isn’t broke, why
fix it.”…ad nauseam. At the same time, these very same colleges are
hurting financially, as they struggle for quality students, financial grants,
alumni contributions, and resources generally.
Clearly, many small colleges are too self-satisfied, spend too much time
looking inward, plan too much from memory rather than from imagination, suffer
from faculty hubris, and do not demonstrate the economic/market sophistication
needed to be viable (let alone excellent) in the changed world of the past
decade (Willimon, 2000:pp.21-24).
Therefore, in order to accentuate the contextual anchors, communication
techniques, benchmark comparabilities, differentiation themes, and
sophisticated interdependence required to move beyond mere survival, I would
like to recommend “perception management” as a strategic design for turning
passive dreams into proactive realities (Stupak, Greisler, and Stupak,
1997:pp.12-14).
“The
problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind,
but how to
get the old ones out.” Dee Hock
It is clear to me that major confusion exists in the perceptual lenses used by
mediocre colleges, as well as in the minds of their reactive faculty,
administrators, and Board of Trustee members. Here are the confusing
perception barriers of reactive colleges: rigidity with rigor; analysis with
decisiveness; managing with leading; crisis with performance; activity with
productivity; intent with behavior; insularity with independence; hindsight
with foresight; credentials with credibility; and lecturing with
teaching.
On the other hand, high performing colleges exhibit a dynamic, proactive,
integrated set of perception determinants no matter their size, context,
culture, or location. Here are the perception lenses that distinguish
high performing colleges from mediocre institutions: opportunity actors rather
than crisis reactors; change creators rather than stability protectors;
emphasis on interactive relationships rather than individual turfs; feedback
learning systems rather than hierarchical protectorates; use education centered
technology rather than high tech gimmicks; strategic positioners based on
imagination rather than strategic planners mired in memory; sophisticatedly
interdependent rather than dogmatically independent; measurement performers
rather than rhetorical cheerleaders; market sensitive rather than economically
indifferent; and, finally, emphasize student needs rather than faculty
convenience (Stupak, 2000:p.4; Brown, 1990: passim).
Surely, not everything that is faced can or must be changed, but just as surely
nothing can be changed until it is faced. In addition, as Abraham Kaplan
has said: “That choices are limited does not imply that there are no choices at
all” (Kaplan, 1964). Consequently, since language has the interesting
property to increase or decrease our perceptions of control, as well as allowing
us different word choices to direct our thoughts and actions about situations
in either effective or ineffective ways, let’s look at perception management as
an action framework for making colleges creative, dynamic, and relevant to
today…and tomorrow.
“We’re not
just talking about theory; we’re doing it.” Bob Palmer
The
Issue: “Maximizing value” is a popular and
demanding phrase in the academic arena of today. It is defined as
increasing the quality/cost ratio. Simply stated, parents and students
want to get their money’s worth! Given the increasing competitiveness in
recruiting and retaining students generally – and in small liberal arts
colleges specifically – our customers are no longer willing or able to spend
money as they have in the past. For the academic leader, however, deftly
maximizing value means more than focusing on the quality/cost dyad (Clark,
2000: pp.2-15). In this world of the academic marketplace where terms
such as collaboration, sustainability, re-engineering, and outcomes management
reflect various aspects of educational delivery instituted to help improve the
development of the student, permit me to suggest one more operational phrase –
related to the communications function – that too few academic professionals
understand and practice: perception management. It is a very simple
description of what I think more college presidents, faculty, trustees, and
alumni groups must actively pursue through marketing plans,
center-of-excellence programs, advertising campaigns, and financial planning –
using communication tools to speak to clearly defined audiences for the purpose
of motivating them to embrace one’s academic programs and college
mission.
Perceptions are real (Willimon, 2000: p.22). They color what we see, how
we interpret, what we believe, and how we behave. They create or diminish
value. They generate or solve problems. They are an essential
component to academic operations and whether a college is successful. So
powerful are our perceptions that many psychologists believe that “perception
is reality” (Cialdini, 1984; Strauch, 1989).
Perceptions come in two forms: experiential and intellectual.
“Experiential perception” is kinesthetic in origin – we develop these perceptions
through our senses of sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. Our
proverbial sixth sense – knowing about something – defines the realm of
“intellectual perception.”
One must remember that everything we communicate about our college must be
grounded in the ultimate measurable (quantifiable) realities of product and
price. The experiential perception of parents and students must be one of
great value. We cannot sustain false perceptions (at least not for long),
nor should we attempt to communicate them. In the academic arena, doing
so would be at least unethical, perhaps illegal, and certainly
unprofessional. There must always be a positive reinforcing interaction
between experiential perception management, quality, and cost -–especially in
the minds of parents, students and faculty.
Intellectual perception is more elusive. Every audience has its own
perceptual framework. At the most fundamental level, science tells us
that the process of bringing about perceptual change has both rational and
emotional components and is as dependent on cues and symbols as it is on actual
content (Cialdini, 1984). If we want to change your mind, there are facts we
must give you: specific attributes of the college; arguments for attending our
college; results of a study or focus group; and even testimonials from current
and former students. However, since people process and store information,
receiving it in a complex web of beliefs, emotions, experiences, and contexts,
it doesn’t really matter what we say if we have not considered how it will be
received.
The
Process: As
communicators and perception managers, we must always consider both the
rational content of our messages and the perceived meaning. We must ask
ourselves: what will the listener actually hear, given who they are, what they
care about, and how they feel about the context and message sender? And,
we must never forget that emotion has much more to do with behavior than reason
does. Science and practice tell us that “reason persuades” but “emotion
motivates.” Effective college leaders must be in the business of
motivating (Kouzes and Posner, 1995: passim).
Right now, you are reading this article with an ‘attitude.’ What you will
see, what you will remember, what you will care about, what you already
believe, and what you will do are subsequently far more dependent on how you
feel now and how you will feel at the end of this article than anything that is
logically happening at your ‘home base.’ Remember, unlearning is
infinitely harder than learning. The critical issue is emotional
relevance: will any of this tap into meaningful values and motivations for you
and your institution?
Not
only do we have to pay attention to the rational and emotional cues and responses
of our audiences and ourselves, but we also must consider how various trends
impact our messages and our ability to manage perceptions effectively.
The advent of technology is probably the single biggest influence in
communications today. Audiences, especially students, are bombarded
electronically with a multitude of options that are increasingly personalized,
individualized, interactive, impactful, and immediate. Around the corner
is an amalgamation of television, telephone, video, and Internet intimacy –
interactivity and impact all in one. This will further change how
students get information and how they choose – much as television has
fundamentally changed how people get news. It also will change the style,
tone, options, and even the substance of what students want.
Persuading parents and students today – managing their intellectual perceptions
– requires an understanding of and an operational strategy for using
technology. There are two major reasons for this: First, technologies are
altering the media one needs to use to reach key, especially young,
audiences. There is a constantly shifting environment of information
gathering, and academic leaders must keep up with it. Second, you must
recognize that traditional media brochures, newspapers, and magazines are
changing how they operate technologically, and so is the general public.
How news travels, the speed at which it moves, who influences whom in the
world, and how they do it is an ever changing and critically important topic –
especially if one wants to reach and change the perceptions of a target
audience…namely, prospective students and their parents.
The
Benefits: The liberal
arts colleges that can crisply communicate that they provide a high value,
integrated curriculum and college experience, while, at the same time,
developing the channels for accessing, assimilating, and energizing it for
potential students are the ones that will thrive. To this end, perception
management is an essential tool for academic leaders. Influencing the
intellectual perceptions of both internal and external audiences significantly
impacts your ability to advance the viability, vitality, and visibility of your
college. Internal audiences consist of faculty, peers, senior managers,
students, and board members. In the battle for resources (operating
budget, capital budget, staffing), these groups are critical. External
audiences are comprised of referring high schools, professional colleagues,
media experts, parents, and potential students. The point is – and I
don’t think this is an overstatement – managing perceptions can be just as
important as beautiful buildings, first class faculty, and glossy brochures, if
a small, liberal arts college is to succeed in today’s academic marketplace.
During my consulting outside of academia, I have seen businesses shape
perceptions to achieve desired business results with the financial community,
consumers, and policy makers. Some used debates, others discussions,
others the power of the written word, and still others television, visual
presentations, and the Internet, but all used simple communication techniques
to get into the heads and hearts of their audiences, identify current
perceptions, target key groups, refocus reality, and bring about desired market
behaviors and results (Gragnolati and Stupak, 1999: pp.5-7). Mostly, the
facts remain the same, only the perceptions changed. Clearly understand
that it doesn’t really matter what we say if we have not considered how it will
be received.
There must always be a positive reinforcing interaction between experiential
perceptions of students and faculty and the academic leaders’ intellectual
perception management of referrers, parents, markets, and even
competitors.
The
Roles: In today’s
academic world, we must create motivating communications that break through the
sound barrier and have emotional relevance to the individual student. The
communication strategies and tools you wield are the means to manage the
perceptions that create the behaviors, which, in turn, lead to success in your
marketing endeavors. Everyone at the college is a perception manager; as
such, faculty, administrators, students, and alumni should be involved in the
strategic planning process of your college…and ideally involved in the
relationship building process with your major stakeholders. This may not
always be possible, but it is the president’s responsibility to reach out to
senior executives, faculty, middle managers, and alumni leaders to clearly
communicate strategic initiatives and operational priorities (Muller, 2000:
pp.275-288).
To determine how, through the use of systematic tools, symbolic cues, personal
styles, and interactive approaches, you can assure that the intellectual perceptions
of critical stakeholders are impacted in precise and powerful ways, consider
using the following nine steps for ensuring effective perception management:
1. Determine the stakeholders who critically
impact your academic efforts in achieving desired market results – faculty,
employees, alumni, etc.
2. Clearly identify the two or three (the
fewer, the better) educational themes, cultural anchors, or location factors
that differentiate your college from all the others…the uniqueness factor.
3. Based on these differentiated themes,
relate what needs to be accomplished on both a business and educational level
and develop targeted, focused messages that will have an emotional appeal to
each internal and external stakeholder; that is, sophisticatedly blend mission
with margin.
4. Use basic communication techniques to get
into the heads and hearts of your stakeholders – identify current perceptions,
target key groups, refocus reality, and bring about desired behaviors and
measurable results.
5. Always consider the rational content of a
message and the perceived meaning. What will the listener actually
hear given who they are, what they care about, and how they feel about the
institutional context and the message sender?
6. Consider how various trends in
communication impact messages and the ability to manage perceptions
effectively.
7. Actively listen to your students,
stakeholders, parents, and professional colleagues: dialogue is essential for
increasing communication efficiency and understanding.
8. Reach out to senior faculty, deans and
managers, and other internal audiences to crystallize and anchor the
fundamental objectives of the college and to determine how marketing activities
can support and help to bring about a mutual accountability for achieving those
objectives.
9. Perceptions and style can never be a
substitute for lack of academic substance or faculty quality: there must always
be a reinforcing interaction between perception management and educational performance
(Stupak and Stupak, 1997: pp.1-4).
The following experience I had focuses
the previous points: Back in the early 1950’s, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the
vice president of marketing of a then-small dog food company was making a
speech about the impact of the division’s current activities. At the end
of the presentation, in an effort to stir the sales force to a fever pitch of
energy and commitment, he raised his voice:
“Who has the best marketing campaign in
the dog food industry? He asked. A few voices responded, “We do.”
“Who has the best sales force in the dog food industry?” he continued. A
few more voices answered, “We do.” The energy mounted: the volume
increased, “Who has the best marketing division in the industry?” he
boomed. “WE DO!” shouted the audience. He paused, “Then why are
sales down?”
In
the silence that followed, as I stood in the back of the room, one person was
overhead saying to another, “The dogs don’t like it.”
Perceptions
and style can never be a substitute for a lack of educational and academic
value. The dog food manufacturer did a great job of intellectual
perception management – dog owners were impressed. But the experiential
perception of the dogs was a disaster.
“Small is
not better, focused is better.” Chuck Ames
To properly sequence perceptions in the academic, small liberal arts college
arena, parents and students must immediately recognize (intellectually and
emotionally) that they can and are receiving quality outcomes at reasonable
costs in a caring environment. This can only be accomplished with a well
thought-out, systematic, gripping, real-team-oriented approach to perception
management (Katzenbach and Smith, 1994: pp.87-108). Each college must be
its own expert (The Commission on the Future of Moravian College…1991; Stupak,
1998: pp.1-6. In addition, please see the numerous articles on colleges,
universities and faculty by R.J. Stupak published during the past couple of
decades in Worldview, The Christian Century, Kappan, Journal of Human
Relations, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Intellect, Current, The American
Psychologist, The Bureaucrat, and others). The academic leaders must be
the driving force. Each member of the campus becomes at one time both a
player in the academic marketplace and a referee responsible for helping to
direct institutional resources. Not only are they determining and driving
the strategy and outcomes, but they are also making sure that all promotion and
marketing activities contribute directly to both the educational and business
success of delivering a liberal arts education, environment, and commitment
that is “second to none.” In essence, your college must develop a
perception management approach that compliments its culture, size, mission,
vision, and authority structure, as well as its educational goals, academic
objectives, and intellectual dreams.
Brown, David G. 1990. Unspoken Covenants
of Small Public Ivy Colleges. Asheville, North Carolina: University of North
Carolina Publications.
Cialdini, Robert. 1984. Influence: The
New Psychology of Modern Persuasion. New York: Quill Publishing.
Clark, Charles S. 2000. “Campuses Move
Toward Sustainability.” ABG Priorities. Spring: pp.1-15.
Gragnolati, Brian A. and Ronald J.
Stupak. 1999. “Health Care and the CEO: Leadership Axioms for High
Performance.” AAMA Executive. Winter: pp.5-7.
Katzenbach, Jon R. and Douglas K. Smith.
1994. The Wisdom of Teams. New York: Harper Business.
Kaplan, Abraham. 1964. The Conduct of
Inquiry. Scranton, Pennsylvania: Chandler Publishing Company.
Kouzes, James M. and Barry K. Posner.
1995. The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco: Josey-Bass Publishers.
Muller, Henry. 2000. “I Have at Least Nine
Jobs: Stanford’s Gerhart Casper Reflects on Money, Power, Football, and Online
Learning.” Fortune, October 16: pp.275-288.
Strauch, Ralph. 1989. The Reality
Illusion: How You Make the World You Experience. New York: Harper & Row
Publishers.
Stupak, Ronald J., David S. Greisler, and
Valeska C. Stupak. 1998. “Management and Humanity: An Active Strategy for
Marketing and Delivering Cardiovascular Services. The Journal of Cardiovascular
Management. January/February: pp.12-14.
Stupak, Ronald J. 2000. High-Performing
Courts Find Ways to Break Barriers. Court Communiqué. September: p.4.
Stupak, Ronald J. 1998. Introduction to
Symposium on Organizational Culture: Theory, Practice, and Cases. Public
Administration and Management. March: pp.1-6.
Stupak, Valeska C. and Ronald J. Stupak.
1997. “Perception Management: An Active Strategy for Marketing and Selling.”
The Sales Trainer. May: pp.1-4.
The Commission on the Future of Moravian
College and Moravian Theological Seminary. 1999. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania:
Moravian College Publications.
Willimon, William H. 2000. “Your Message
Here.” Trusteeship. May/June: pp.21-24.