Is Issue Management evolving or progressing towards extinction: A status review

Abstract

After almost 40 years of development, issue management has reached a point where it could either fade out of fashion or continue evolving into new forms. Reviewing both the past and possible future, four major trends are identified – migration of the discipline beyond the corporation to Government agencies and NGOs; the impact of social media and the rise of new community expectations; continuing developments in the relationship between issue management and crisis management; and the challenge of how issue management is positioned within organizations and among other management activities. Each of these trends is analysed to assess its impact on the future of issue management, and how the roles of corporate and non-corporate players will likely have significantly different influences on shaping its survival.