Auditing OG&E: A Look at Internal Environment & Public Perception

Photo by Brendan Church on Unsplash

Consider the image above. Through the photographer’s sphere, the bridge appears to be upside down. However, the bridge is clearly rightside up. Perception does not always equal reality, and oftentimes the perception of one company may differ from one person to the next. Perception may even differ from the companies view of themselves, to the public’s view of the company.

Beyond the basic SWOT analysis of an organizational audit, there are two things to consider that may not align in terms of company performance. That being, internal perception– the ways in which an organization hopes to be perceived, and public perception– the way the public views, and scrutinizes the organization.

To determine discrepancies one can ask “what kind of company do you want to be?” And, the follow up, “what kind of company does your public believe you are?” Today, I’m going to look at OG&E’s performance, structure & external perception.

Performance

Performance “focuses on quality of goods and services provided by the organization as well as the viability of the causes and ideas it espouses.” Smith, 62

OG&E is part of the Energy Industry, in which power in electric and natural gas are the goods provided to customers. OG&E also provides the service and promise of maintaining and restoring power to customers after storms and natural disasters. Then, performance can be measured by how well OG&E is able to provide power to consumers. Earlier this month on January 11, OG&E received an Emergency Response Award, for restoring power to 27,000 homes in Arkansas last May after tornadoes. This award marks a positive performance.

Structure

Structure is “the purpose or mission of the organization as it relates to the situation at hand.” Smith, 62

Considering the internal structure means first understanding OG&E’s mission is to “energize life, providing life-sustaining and life-enhancing products and services, while honoring our commitment to strengthen our communities.” A negative perception of OG&E in the news this month surrounds protests in which consumers feel as if they have been treated unfairly due to an increase of price on their electric and gas bills. OG&E’s commitment to strengthen the community is threatened when the community is threatened.

Public Perception

Public perception hinges on two facets. The first is visibility or the extent to which a company is known (Smith, 64). The second is reputation or how people evaluate the organization (Smith, 64).

While Oklahoma and Arkansas publics know what OG&E is (OG&E has a high rate of visibility), customers do not have an overwhelming sense of loyalty (OG&E may have a poor reputation) for the company which is an area of opportunity for the company.

Take a look at this video ad done as a “Life Runs on Energy” campaign for Energy Transfer, another company operating within the energy sector.

Nov. 24, 2021

This campaign works hard to show consumers WHY they need energy, and why they should choose Energy Transfer. The campaign also makes Energy Transfer visible, and relates the performance of the company to everyday life, which in turn develops a positive brand image for the organization.

Ultimately, an audit of OG&E helps to create the essential background for designing a successful campaign.

References

OG&E RECEIVES EMERGENCY RESPONSE AWARDS. OGE Energy Corp. (2022, January 25). Retrieved January 30, 2022, from https://www.ogeenergy.com/press-releases/

Skarky, B. (2022, January 26). Protests filed with Oklahoma Supreme Court against plan to pay off OG&E Winter Storm Fuel costs. KFOR.com Oklahoma City. Retrieved January 30, 2022, from https://kfor.com/news/local/protests-filed-with-oklahoma-supreme-court-against-plan-to-pay-off-oge-winter-storm-fuel-costs/

Smith, R.D. (2021). Strategic planning for public relations (6th Ed.). Routledge.

SWOT Analysis Understanding Your Business, Informing Your Strategy (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2022, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_05.htm

Values & Beliefs. Our Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2022, from https://www.oge.com/wps/portal/ord/who-we-are/our-culture/values-beliefs/

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