The business community is losing the battle for the narrative

Where trade unions are shaping the political agenda through their alliance with PRO, the business community appears to be standing on the sidelines. The government has largely been left to make the case for measures aimed at safeguarding the investment climate on its own. On another important issue, the future of the labour market, trade unions and their ally PRO are also dominating the debate. Their message may not be particularly innovative, but their alliance with PRO does appear to have made the trade union movement more effective. So, who or what is offering a counterweight?

The traditional lobbying playbook has run its course

Dutch businesses need to adopt a different tone in their lobbying efforts, and that requires a significant shift. Rather than merely explaining what is wrong, they must also show which alternatives would work and who else would benefit from them. The traditional business lobbying playbook has become worn out: “Businesses are not cash machines. SMEs are the engine of the economy. Companies will leave if the business climate deteriorates.” In political circles, these have become broken records: familiar messages that primarily emphasise businesses’ own interests, in the hope that a political majority will somehow emerge of its own accord. The chair of the FNV is not communicating a particularly innovative message either, but the union’s close cooperation with PRO has nevertheless given it considerable influence.

This political landscape calls for much greater investment in mutual understanding. Anyone who knows exactly what a company needs but fails to understand the political, societal and administrative pressures facing MPs, civil servants and government ministers will never be able to communicate their message convincingly. That requires genuinely engaging with other interests and counterarguments.

Facts alone do not build support

Business representatives have lost ground in the public debate in recent years, particularly in the way they communicate. Large companies, in particular, have regularly found themselves on the defensive and have struggled to regain the initiative. Meanwhile, other interest groups and social movements have become far more adept at campaigning. Consider Wij eisen de nacht op (“We Reclaim the Night”), De Rode Lijn (“The Red Line”), the Dolle Mina feminist movement and the way in which the Ministry of Defence recruits young people. Or, much further afield, the Cockroach Janta movement in India. They use concise messages, recognisable symbols, alternative channels, humour and a shared identity—tools that suddenly give complex issues political and societal resonance.

There is ample inspiration for drawing attention to important issues in non-violent, creative and constructive ways. The lesson for the business community is not that it should start making memes, but that facts and arguments alone are no longer enough. Anyone seeking to build support must tell a story in which others recognise themselves and their interests. Sometimes, this means not challenging an existing frame, but embracing it, turning it around or responding with a more powerful image.

Wennink’s report is also a call to action for businesses

Peter Wennink’s report will be debated on 3 September. Although the report was the subject of intensive lobbying and inspired many of the commitments included in the coalition agreement, the business community subsequently fell silent. This is precisely the moment when businesses need to make their voices heard. After all, the report also calls for a different kind of cooperation between government and business. Among other things, it advocates a structural public-private dialogue and points out that the Netherlands proves particularly effective when parties move beyond their individual interests and act on a shared sense of urgency and common objectives.

The Wennink report is not only a call to action for the government; it is also a call to action for the business community. The relevant question, therefore, is not only which recommendations will be translated into policy, but also what changes we may expect from Dutch businesses themselves. Influence does not begin with articulating your own needs as persuasively as possible. It begins with understanding another person’s world, framing a message that resonates within it and subsequently bringing together people who can jointly set change in motion. In other words: achieving greater influence through empathy—or holistic lobbying.

Jan Anthonie Bruijn is a former Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport.

Pieter Walraven is Managing Partner at Public Matters.