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Books: Winning the Influence Game
"Managers who ignore the actions of government do so at great risk," warn the authors of Winning the Influence Game: What Every Business Leader Should Know about Government. HBS associate professor Michael Watkins, former congressman and current lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government Mickey Edwards, and HBS research associate Usha Thakrar have drawn on interviews with government insiders, top lobbyists, consultants, and veteran CEOs to offer executives proven strategies for influencing the government rules and regulations that shape their industries.
The book offers both a framework for analyzing the effects of government on business and an introduction to the techniques that are necessary for organizing to influence government. "The workings of government are so remote from the commonsense practices of the business world that even the most astute manager may simply not know how to go about the business of influencing government," note the authors. By outlining approaches to government relations that other companies have found effective, the book gives managers a better understanding of how to influence legislative and regulatory agencies to gain competitive advantage.
The authors outline seven principles — involving skills such as relationship and coalition building, cooperation with competitors, and using influence as a competitive weapon — that can help managers protect their interests and become proactive in shaping government policy. The advice presented can be applied at the local, state, national, or international level by managers from a wide spectrum of industries.
In today's economy, where government laws and regulations can determine the long-term viability of businesses, Winning the Influence Game argues that business leaders must choose between being players or victims. "There will always be laws, regulations, and taxes," note the authors. "Government is not going to go away. Either you will influence those laws and regulations or your competition will."
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