Dutch public affairs professionals in the national and European arena: A smart mix of skills, attitude, and knowledge competences

• Author: Edward L. Figee,Jordy F. Gosselt,Paul C.J. Linders,Menno D.T. Jong
• Published date: 01 November 2017
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1666
• Date: 01 November 2017

ACADEMIC PAPER

Dutch public affairs professionals in the national and European

arena: A smart mix of skills, attitude, and knowledge

competences

Edward L. Figee |Jordy F. Gosselt |Paul C.J. Linders |Menno D.T. de Jong

Department of Communication Science,

Faculty of Behavioural, Management and

Social Sciences, University of Twente,

Enschede, The Netherlands

Correspondence

Edward L. Figee, University of Twente,

Department of Communication Science,

Faculty of Behavioural, Management and

Social Sciences, Enschede, The Netherlands.

Email: e.l.figee@utwente.nl

Although the profession of public affairs (PA) is increasingly important for organizations, relatively

little is known about the range of competences PA professionals need. This article presents a

qualitative study among 41 experienced Dutch PA professionals and practitioners, who were

interviewed about the competences needed in regional and local PA. The results show that

a combination of skills‐related, attitudinal, and knowledge‐related competences is needed.

Skills‐related competences involve two broad domains: politics and communication. Attitudinal

competences comprise the almost paradoxical qualities of authentic professionalism and

flexibility. Knowledge‐related competences comprise political and communicative knowledge.

These competences are used in a delicate process of swapping, depending on the situation of

the very moment and the PA file at hand. Every competence may be of decisive importance.

The PA professional is a silent diplomat.

1|INTRODUCTION

Public affairs (PA) is gaining ground in the public sector in the Nether-

lands. Traditionally, governmental organizations would find themselves

on the receiving end of PA activities, but nowadays, many governmen-

tal organizations recognize that PA activities can be a useful means for

them to promote their interests and get things done. In particular,

regions and municipalities realize that PA can help them to reach the

national and European political arenas and draw attention to regional

and local issues and interests. PA is a managerial tool that can be used

to influence processes of political decision‐making in the national and

European arena (Marx, 1990; Van Schendelen, 2013, p. 15–24, 60).

The PA profession that these decentralized governmental bodies

are entering is hard to demarcate (Harris & Moss, 2001a, 2001b;

Schuler, 2002). In general terms, PA may be described as “a strategic

management discipline, directed to the political, administrative realm

the organization is functioning in or is going to function in”(Linders &

De Lange, 2003, p. 17). According to McGrath, Moss, and Harris

(2010) and Van Schendelen(2013, p. 15–24), the problems of demarcat-

ing PA can be attributedto ongoing dynamics in society, which are con-

tinuously modeling the public and private sectors (Van de Donk, 2014).

Earlier research shows that the effective use of PA by decen-

tralized governments involves many challenges, such as preparing the

home organization for the use of PA (Figee, Gosselt, Linders, & De

Jong, 2017a); forging regional and public–private collaborations (Figee,

Gosselt, Linders, & De Jong, 2017b); and accessing the complex, highly

competitive, and not always susceptible national and European politi-

cal arenas (Figee, Gosselt, Linders, & De Jong, 2016). Considering that

PA professionals have to act on various stages with highly relevant but

often vaguely demarcated objectives, it is no wonder that questions

arise about the expertise of PA professionals. What are the

competences PA professionals must bring to the job?

In an earlier study (Figee, Gosselt, Linders, & De Jong, 2017c), we

addressed this question using a survey among PA professionals. The

results showed a wide variety among PA professionals, both in educa-

tional background and in competences, and a long list of competences

PA professionals must develop. In this article, we take a qualitative

approach to answer the question more in detail while focusing on

the context of regional and local PA. We interviewed prolific and

seasoned PA professionals and practitioners, who all had participated

in the domain of regional and local PA in various roles, about the

competences that are crucial for the PA professional.

2|EARLIER RESEARCH INTO PA AND PR

COMPETENCES

Earlier research provides some clues for an inventory of PA compe-

tences. Fleisher (2007) argued for the need of a PA body of knowledge

and put the identification, description, and measurement of PA

Received: 6 January 2017 Accepted: 16 July 2017

DOI: 10.1002/pa.1666

J Public Affairs. 2017;17:e1666.

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1666

Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa 1of8