Perception Management a Corporate Tool by Ateeya Manzoor

Perception management according to Ateeya Manzoor a management strategist in the corporate world involves formulating and projecting the right perspective of a company to all its stakeholders. With a rise in media platforms and newer technologies of communication, managing perceptions is a challenging task.

Perception management provides strategic communication support to corporations for delivering the right message to the right people. In modern times, information exchange happens very rapidly and easily through advancements in mass media. Often, vitiated or false information damages a company's reputation and brand image, sometimes very seriously. This is where perception management comes into play to save the day.

Where Are Perceptual Management Skills Needed?

When we work or live in a Multi-cultural environment, we are dealing with varying individual perceptions. The more multi-cultural the environment, the more we need to understand the needs and perceptions of people around us. Few of us live in a mono-cultural society, unless we live in remote areas where, there is little contact with the outside World. In reality most Cities in the USA, Europe, and many parts of Asia, are multi-cultural, and the way we work, interact personally, and do business needs a degree of perceptional Management.

Successful Managers, also have to recognize that perceiving, and not imposing differing cultural perceptions is often the key in managing teams of a Multi- cultural workforce. Defusing any cultural divisions is also one key to resolving conflicts, blending differing perceptions together to create compromise. Ateeya Manzoor says that the more perceptional skills we have, creates more employment opportunities, and more business. Simply because lack of perceptional skills holds people back, and even worsens situations. It can also limit their opportunities, because opportunities exist everywhere, but only a few are brave enough to nurture their perceptional skills to take these opportunities.

Features of Perception Management:

Perception management moulds opinion made by stakeholders on the basis of what they see and interpret of a company's actions, behaviour of staff and news reports. Stakeholders perceive a company in a certain way and that becomes their reality. Managing perceptions is about ensuring that this stakeholder reality is a good experience for them.

Often there is a gap between how a company perceives itself and how its stakeholders and targeted customers perceive it.  Through perception management this gap is reduced as companies get advised on corrective measures that need to be taken Ateeya Manzoor believes. This is often a step-by-step process but sometimes it can take the form of crisis management to save the company's reputation, brand equity and market share. Bad perception leads to revenue loss and reduced brand value.

Ateeya Manzoor suggested the first step in managing perceptions is to audit and understand existing opinion. After gauging this reality, gaps need to be identified and then corrective measures taken. Once negative perceptions are identified and assessed, the task begins of placing the right messages on the right platforms to change them into positive perceptions.

Perceptions are often damaged during crisis communication. In the wake of a crisis, due to the intense pressure to respond quickly, managements often make goof-ups that cause immense harm to their business. An ill-conceived off-the-cuff remark can compound problems.