Distinguished from crisis management in that it may be less likely to provide an immediate revenue threat, or pose risks for the future of the company, but it may pose a long-term problem, or opportunity, for the company.
Issue management skills may also be used in major commercial bids involving public money (such as - in the UK market - a Private Finance Initiative bid).
Few companies actively seek to have a crisis; but many companies decide that their future interests depend on proactive issue management.
Issue mapping, political mapping, good intelligence, the accurate prediction of ‘killer questions’, rebuttal, prebuttal, and many other tools, all have a role to play in handling multiple communications channels, with a complex stakeholder environment, against a fast-moving political or market backdrop.
Effective issue management will provide a map and a compass for those navigating their way through this unruly environment; it will help focus on achievable key objectives, simplify the complexities, and measure progress.