The ROPE Structure

The boundary-spanner role determines a company’s public relations practice (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson 2017 p.206). Public relations serves as a primary interface between a firm and its key publics. Not only does the boundary-spanner help in bringing views from the public and vital information to aid in decision making, but also engages the external parties and relays the firms view regarding certain issues (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson 2017 p.201).

Public participation is not a new concept in the world. In Australia, people gained interest in public relations as a professional field in 1980s (Hult 2011 p.4). The key principles that guide the bodies practicing public relations are collaboration, dialogue, and interaction to ensure effective participation outcomes. The case study about the upgrade of Wivenhoe Dam in Queensland demonstrates these three principles (Hult 2011 p.5). SEQWater demonstrates a strong dedication to the entire process that resulted in forming a strong relationship between the community, other stakeholders and the firm. As a result, the members of the community engage the stakeholders to find a solution to identified problems in the dam.

This paper will focus on the analysis of the case study about the upgrade of Wivenhoe Dam. The reason as to why I chose this case study is because it portrays a good picture in the way that groups of people can work together to achieve a mutually-beneficial relationship and in the long run build and manage a large-scale infrastructure. I will discuss the strategy using the ROPE structure. I will also write about the theory and media relations. To conclude, I will give my recommendations to show where they went wrong or how to improve for future purposes. I will then conclude the paper and list my references.

I will use the ROPE structure to analyze the case study about the upgrade of the Wivenhoe Dam (Smithey 2011 p. 201). The ROPE structure involves Research, Objectives, Program and Evaluation. I will discuss each topic individually below.

The meteorological department did a research, in 2002, regarding extreme storms (Sheehan & Xavier 2009 p.124). The results of their research raised concerns for Brisbane especially because of flood mitigation strategies. Wivenhoe Dam is on Brisbane River and it is approximately 80 kilometers from Brisbane, thus it is a central strategy to mitigate flooding. The dam is one of Australia’s largest and it serves two purposes which are water storage and flood mitigation (Sheehan & Xavier 2009 p.100).

Basing their reasoning on this research, SEQWater, who are the owner-operators of the Dam, came to the realization that they needed to upgrade the dam to make sure that it could comfortably hold any imaginable flood. SEQWater, therefore, established the Wivenhoe Alliance whose purpose was to oversee the three-year Dam upgrade project with an estimated cost of $70 million.

Once the Alliance came together, they realized that the since the upgrade was a major project, it would cause inconvenience to the locals increasing the likelihood of aggravating the community members who would in turn file against the project. Moreover, the locals would feel disturbed because they were used to their semi-rural environment and peaceful surrounds. Their businesses would be interfered with since they greatly benefited from tourist trade (Mcmahon 2017 p.5).

Objectives and Research

From their research, the Alliance found out that there had been extensive media coverage regarding flood levels in the area thus, there was potential to heighten community sensitivity and raise concerns about the safety of the dam. Also, based on previous experiences, many members were skeptical about the outcome of public participation processes (Mcmahon 2017 p.5).

The Alliance started the research process basing its knowledge from past experiences with stakeholders (Pinto 2018 p.68). They teamed up with staff from SEQWater to identify potential stakeholders and listen to any issues they may have. They developed an impact list which they updated every time a new issue emerged. The Alliance also did an environmental assessment to identify the environmental and social impacts their project would have on the community. They also made a compiled report on the wildlife in the area (Tench & Yeomans 2014 p.214).

The Alliance developed their objectives based on the goals they wanted to achieve (Klein 2008 p.140). They had two main goals. First, they wanted to gain community acceptance to upgrade the dam into a structure that could manage any conceivable flood. The Alliance’s second goal was to enhance its reputation and relationship with the locals. Based on these two main goals, the Alliance came up with three objectives.

The Alliance first objective was to increase the stakeholders understanding of the project. By increasing the stakeholders understanding of the project, the Alliance would manage to meet their goal of ensuring that the stakeholders accepted the initiative of upgrading the Dam. They also wanted to develop and execute projects that provide enduring community welfare. A sustainable project would benefit the locals for a long period of time and also it would leave a positive legacy to the community. Ameliorate SEQWater’s rating in social conscience, consultation, accessibility and responsiveness through the project. Also, make sure that the media does not misrepresent the information regarding the Dam’s safety or the possibility of a storm. The goal was to improve SEQWater’s overall reputation.

The alliance used a comprehensive project management plan to guide the upgrade of the Wivenhoe Dam Project. They also made a plan for the stakeholders and the environment to ensure that these areas were given high priority. The development of a communication plan also ensued to promote effective public participation and also guide the stakeholders’ communication (Klein 2008 p.143).

The Alliance divided the project into three stages. Stage one was to run from February to November 2003. The phases in stage one were four. They included preliminary planning and design, stakeholder education phase, stakeholder consultation phase, and stakeholder feedback. Stage two was to commence in March 2004 and come to an end in September 2005. This stage only had one stage which was Stakeholder information and communication during construction. Lastly, stage three was to begin in March and end in December 2005. The focus in stage three was the major legacy project design and construction.

To measure performance, the Alliance used surveys and an analysis of stakeholder logs and contact database. They measured performance against the set objectives (Lock 2018 p.120). The first objective was to increase the stakeholders understanding of the project. The Alliance took a survey to measure the acceptance of the project by stakeholders and about 80% of the reference group agreed and 50 percent strongly agree. One council declared publicly that the upgrade of the dam was the best solution for the community. The second objective was develop and execute projects that provide enduring community welfare. The Alliance ensured that they completed more than thirty initiatives by partnering with native communities, education providers and the Fervale Futures project (Alexander 2008 p.60). The third objective was to ameliorate SEQWater’s placing in social responsibility, accessibility, and sensitivity through the project. The Alliance ensured that every issue raised by either the community or the stakeholder’s reference group was investigated and dealt with thoroughly. Results from a community survey showed that roughly 94 % of the locals who participated believed that the alliance had ‘very high interests’ in community views and approximately 89% felt that the project team had ‘good’ while others felt they had ‘very good’ communication. There were to also ensure that the media did not misinform the locals regarding the Dams safety or the possibility of a storm event. The information that the media reported during the entire period was favorable.

The case study uses the excellence theory which argues that an organization that builds relationships and resolves conflicts between the organization and the public helps in contributing to organizational effectiveness (Theaker 2012 p. 122).

To ensure good relations with the media, the Alliance ensured a thorough understanding of the project by conducting briefings with journalists. They also issued media releases on a regular basis. The alliance team also availed themselves for interviews (Kazmi 2015 p. 133).

The Alliance also used flyers, newsletters, and advertisements to communicate with stakeholders in the community. The Alliance ensured that local communities received a newsletter quarterly to inform them about the progress of the project, upcoming activities, timeframes and potential impacts. To reinforce the key messages, the alliance made advertisements in the local newspapers. The adverts would also convey messages regarding public display locations and open days (Kazmi 2015 p. 135).

SEQWater did a recommendable job on the Wivenhoe Dam upgrade project. However, I noted that the communication with the communities was done on a quarterly basis. In three months, so much development can take place and thus the community might feel left out in the project. I would recommend that the communication with the locals to be on a regular basis at least on a monthly basis. The community will feel more involved if they know what is happening on the ground.

The success of the Wivenhoe Dam upgrade project has won industry awards for its outcomes. The implementation of the project was by a team of people who have substantial experience by working on similar projects. From the beginning, the project team reinforced the importance of public participation and established principles to guide the project. Due to a well-established communication strategy, the transition of the various stages and phases was smooth. Moreover, the Alliance team did thorough research and established the legacy projects thus improving SEQWater’s reputation.

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