Internal Side of Public Affairs - 72

By Alan Hardacre, PhD

Co-Founder Advocacy Academy, Advocacy Strategy

How do you actually build a Public Affairs capability?

Most Public Affairs functions are good at responding. The harder question is whether they're set up to lead - to shape the environment before it shapes them. Through some recent work I've been spending time thinking about what genuine capability building looks like inside a Public Affairs function. Not training for its own sake. Not a one-off workshop that generates energy and then fades. The real thing: deliberate, structural investment in how a Public Affairs team thinks, operates, and grows together (and delivers more impact for their organization).

A few things I've come to believe:

1. Start with the "why" — and make it concrete

Capability building that sticks is always anchored to a purpose that people care about.

In Public Affairs, that purpose is specific and consequential: building the conditions in which your organisation can operate, innovate, and achieve its objectives. When practitioners understand that their skills translate directly into real-world outcomes — faster access, better policy, a healthier operating environment — engagement isn't a problem.

Vague training programmes produce vague results. Purpose-led ones change behavior.

2. Create common foundations — before you build anything else

Strong PA functions share a backbone that most people never see:

• Clear, consistent processes that don't depend on individual memory

• Centralized tools and resources that reduce duplication

• A structured approach to all aspects of Public Affairs work

• Cross-functional working that's genuinely embedded, not occasional

• Measurement and accountability that's taken seriously

• This isn't glamorous work. But without it, strategy is only as strong as the person who happens to be in the room. This has long been a theme I write about!

3. Build a capability framework — and connect it to seniority

One of the most underused tools in Public Affairs leadership is a properly constructed capabilities framework. Done well, it does several things at once: it defines what "good" looks like at each level, anchors recruitment and development conversations, creates a shared language across markets, and shows practitioners a visible path for growth.

Without it, training becomes fragmented. The people who seek it out benefit; the people who don't, don't. And the function develops unevenly. The framework doesn't need to be complicated. It needs to be shared, taken seriously, and genuinely connected to how people are hired, developed, and promoted – and to what the Public Affairs team needs as the internal and external environments develop.

4. Refresh continuously — but don't mistake motion for progress

In fast-moving policy and advocacy environments, static training becomes a liability. What was best practice three years ago may now be a ceiling. But the answer isn't to constantly rebuild from scratch. The smartest approach is to establish strong core modules — the fundamentals of stakeholder strategy, policy analysis, coalition building, narrative development — and then refresh them regularly to reflect shifts in the policy environment, emerging best practice, and real case studies from live markets.

The principle should travel globally. The application should flex locally. And the instinct to keep refreshing should be disciplined, not reactive — driven by what's changed, not by the desire to look current.

5. Make it practical — and cross-functional by design

The most common failure mode in PA capability building is isolation: programmes designed for, and delivered to, PA practitioners alone. The most effective programmes I've seen deliberately bring together government affairs teams with colleagues from across the business. They blend frameworks with real-world case work. They use workshops and live scenarios that require participants to apply tools to actual business challenges — not hypotheticals. Getting a management team to work together on a live Public Affairs challenge for example.

When people leave with something they've built together, rather than something they've been told, behavior actually changes. That's the test worth applying.

6. Equip leaders, not just practitioners

This is the one that most organisations skip — and it shows. Senior leaders who don't understand the strategic value of Public Affairs tend to resource it reactively, sponsor it inconsistently, and underestimate what "good" actually requires. Masterclasses and structured briefings for leadership aren't a nice-to-have. They're load-bearing.

A PA function is only as strong as the leadership environment that surrounds it. You really need to think about how you get them involved in the programme – both as a sponsor with skin in the game but also as participants to ensure they are aligned with what you are doing.

7. Treat it as a programme — not an event

One workshop changes nothing. A sustained programme of connected activity can change everything. Real capability building includes onboarding tools for new joiners, practical downloadable resources that people actually use, ongoing learning that compounds over time, clear project management, and measurable outcomes that are reviewed seriously.

That last part matters more than it sounds. If capability building doesn't have owners, timelines, and outcomes that people are held to — it becomes background activity, not transformation.

Public Affairs functions that invest in this kind of structured, intentional capability building don't just improve individual skills. They align strategy globally, deepen cross-functional trust, strengthen stakeholder influence, and create the conditions for measurable business impact. They are building a professional Public Affairs function.