Direct or Indirect Reporting Lines?The Internal Side of Public Affairs (11)

Alan Hardacre, PhD

Co-Founder Advocacy Academy, Advocacy Strategy

This is an issue that has come up several times in my career. To start with let’s be clear that the structure of reporting lines can significantly impact the effectiveness of every aspect of your public affairs work. Let's look at the pros and cons of both;

👍 Benefits of Direct Reporting Lines:

Clarity and Efficiency: Direct reporting lines establish a clear chain of command and cascade, reduce ambiguity and streamlining decision-making processes.

Ownership of Resources: If the resources report to you then you have the final decisions over what happens to them.

Real Public Affairs Team: With direct reporting lines you can create a fully-fledged Public Affairs team / community.

👎 Challenges of Direct Reporting Lines:

Risk of Silos: You can silo yourself away from the core business.

Lack of Commercial Buy-In: By removing local commercial reporting lines you can disengage your (often) key internal stakeholders.

Responsibility: Be careful what you wish for. If the organization decides to reduce HC by 30% everywhere you are now included.

🔄 Benefits of Indirect Reporting Lines:

Enhanced Collaboration: Indirect reporting structures promote cross-functional collaboration.

Local vs. Central: Local reporting lines can foster more local ownership and engagement.

🚫 Challenges of Indirect Reporting Lines:

Potential for Communication Breakdowns: Without a clear chain of command, miscommunication and misunderstandings may arise, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities (setting objectives / priorities / appraisals etc.).

Decision-Making Challenges: In complex situations, the lack of a defined reporting structure can make it difficult to reach consensus or make timely decisions.

Public Affairs secondary: Without direct reporting lines, accountability of local PA teams is to their local GM / market which may cause tensions or ‘going local’ phenomenon.

So, which is better? To be honest there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. I have seen extremely high-performing Public Affairs functions in matrix organizations with dotted line reporting. I have also seen direct reporting lines lead to Public Affairs drifting away from an organization. My preference would always be for direct reporting lines but success is ultimately delivered through alignment and linkages to the commercial business, access to resources and buy-in / support from and with senior management. 

What are your thoughts on this? I'd love to hear your insights and experiences in the comments below! DM me to chat.