The image of an organization can be viewed as a system of images and assessments existing in the minds of people.

The concept of the image of the organization includes two components:

1. Descriptive (or informational) component, which is the image of the organization.

2. Evaluative component, which exists due to the fact that any information about the organization induces assessments and emotions that may have different intensities, can be accepted or rejected, and this is directly related to the attitude towards the organization.

The image and evaluation lend themselves only to a conditional conceptual distinction. In reality, they are inextricably linked. The image of the organization can be positive, negative, fuzzy. The purpose of the organization is to create a positive image. A positive image increases the competitiveness of the organization in the market. It attracts consumers and partners, accelerates sales and increases their volume. It facilitates the organization's access to various resources: financial, informational, human, material. A successful corporate image building process requires planning, organization and control.

Structure is an essential attribute of any system. Structure

The image of the organization includes eight components (or components):

1. Image of a product (service) - people's ideas about the unique characteristics that, in their opinion, the product has.

2. The image of consumers of goods includes ideas about the lifestyle, social status and some personal (psychological) characteristics of consumers.

3. The internal image of the organization is the representation of employees about their organization. The main determinants of the internal image are the culture of the organization and the socio-psychological climate.

4. The image of the leader or the main leaders of the organization includes ideas about the abilities, attitudes, value orientations, psychological characteristics, and appearance of the leader.

5. The image of the staff is a collective, generalized image of the staff, revealing the most characteristic features of it.

6. The visual image of the organization - ideas about the organization, the substratum of which are visual sensations, fixing information about the interior of the office, trade and showrooms, branding of the organization.

7. Social image of the organization - representations of the general public about social purposes and the role of the organization in the economic, social and cultural life of society.

8. Business image of the organization - ideas about the organization as a subject of business activity.

The image of the organization is relatively stable. When it comes to organization, it takes a long time and a lot of effort to change people's perceptions of it.

The image is of particular importance for large and well well-known organizations. Such an organization is in the public eye and in the media spotlight. Therefore, large organizations are constantly working with public opinion. This work is aimed at ensuring favorable behavior of the public towards the organization.

The attitude of the public towards the organization can be mediated by the already formed attitude towards the system in which the organization is included as a component. Thus, the idea of ​​a particular bank invariably includes an idea of ​​the banking system as a whole and an assessment of its activities. This mediation can have both a positive impact on the image of a particular organization, and a negative one.

Thus, the process of creating an image is a constant process of improving the style and philosophy of the company, developing new attributes and improving old ones, revising ideas and searching for new approaches.

external image. Research shows that 83% of our decisions are based on visual information. We carefully examine a person, office or thing and decide whether we want to deal with such a partner or not. So it turns out that the appearance of a business person has never been as important as it is now. Businessmen have never been so concerned about their external image as they are in our time. One way or another, this is required of us by a rapidly developing society. Drawing up a plan for an external image means a thorough analysis of everything that first of all catches the eye of society and a particular buyer.

The fact that there is a direct connection between our appearance and success is proved by Scientific research. They make it clear that a professional needs to wear clothes that meet the standards of appearance, and yet millions of intelligent people refuse to take these studies seriously. Most often, the head of the company is judged by the standards of appearance of its employees. The most main reason problems with the appearance of employees - lack of understanding. In other words, people do not understand how their appearance affects the image of the entire company. Otherwise, none of them would show up to work in the form that they consider normal.

The education and home environment of young employees often have a negative impact. Therefore, the manager is forced to independently determine the standards for the appearance of employees. In this sense, the leadership should be an example of their observance, but one "walking" model is clearly not enough.

What is the solution to this problem. It is necessary to state in detail the requirements adopted in your company for the appearance of employees. Many employees will agree with you if the reasons for these rules are clear to them. It is necessary to immediately acquaint newly hired employees with them, otherwise talking with one of them about their appearance when certain relationships have already formed in the team will become the most difficult task for the HR manager in his work. It is a well-known fact that if employees are given the opportunity to choose their own business attire, the boundaries of appearance standards are violated by the most professional workers.

Besides typical mistake is that the leaders of many large companies take professionalism in clothing and appearance for granted, which is why they devote so little time and attention to this issue. This opinion is erroneous, and such managers can be advised to take the time to explain the company's attitude towards the uniform of its employees and give the necessary explanations. In addition, I would like to note that professional clothing generates professional behavior, in other words, clothing and behavior are interconnected.

The only production factor that affects the reputation of a business is product quality. For most companies, the importance of product quality is obvious. With poor consumer properties of the product, the company will not be saved either by excellent public relations or impeccable customer service. Advertising can attract a buyer, but if he is dissatisfied with the product or the quality of services, then the positive image of such a company will not last long. It is necessary to monitor the quality of the product and work hard and hard.

The area of ​​tangible image, which we perceive with all five senses, includes everything from the slogan of the company to its location. The name of the company and its slogan are the most visible elements in the image system. It is worth spending time and money to create the most effective version of these two elements. This is especially important for newly established companies.

The name and slogan of the company tell people what kind of company it is, they should clearly reflect the profile of its activities. The company name has an obvious impact on people. The shorter the name, the stronger its effect. It should also be easy to remember. In business around the world, the name of corporations is considered so important that every year, after consultation with professionals, thousands of companies change it.

The external image of the company should be clear and attractive to customers. It is also necessary to periodically rebuild the image, constantly strengthening it. You don't have to change everything every time. The name of the company should appear on the sign, letterhead, business cards, product packaging - everything that represents the company to people. To enhance the impact of the image, it is necessary to unify all its components.

An important component of the external image of the company is advertising. People learn about a new product or service mainly through advertising. Some types of advertising use a powerful image, others do not. Television turned our view of life in the 20th century upside down. Over the past forty years, we have evolved from a society of readers into a society of television viewers. Today, we form opinions about people and products based on visual images, symbols, and concise, carefully crafted text. In this sense, advertising, print and electronic, has risen to the level of science. The most the main problem those who do advertising today have competition. The volume of information about the product that falls on the buyer is striking. In addition to advertisements in newspapers, on the radio, on billboards along the road, in evening TV shows and magazines, the ordinary Russian consumer receives so many commercial advertisements every day that most of them are simply not perceived by him. Only the most effective advertising reaches a person and influences him.

Today, in the midst of competition, the creation of advertising should be entrusted only to professionals. Even we are talking writing an advertisement for a local newspaper or mailing an advertisement, this amateur endeavor is unlikely to attract the attention of the consumer, because it will have to compete with hundreds of other commercial advertisements written by professionals. And here, perhaps, the main problem is how to stand out from total mass, even if the creation of advertising is entrusted to professionals.

Today, effective advertising attracts the attention of the consumer not only by its professional level, but also by its emotional impact on people. Hardly all advertising agencies understand this, so before commissioning any of them to create your ads, study their previous work.

Thus, we can say that the external image is influenced by such factors as the appearance of employees, product quality, slogan, location and advertising. According to these characteristics, one can generally judge the corporate image outside the organization.

The internal image of the organization. Compared to the external image, the internal image is more difficult to correct, but it is much more important for the company's reputation and its success. The dedication of employees to their company and the enthusiasm for customer service is the core of the internal image.

Experience shows that most employees are not even aware of the impact they have on the customer's perception of the company they work for. The advice that can be given to employees of any company is simple: either you always speak only positively about your bosses and your work, or leave this position and find the one company in which you will be proud. This advice applies to employees at all levels.

Based on the foregoing: the internal image is the image of the company through the eyes of its employees, the image that arises among buyers when communicating with its employees. Simply put, a negative internal image means the company will inevitably lose customers and reputation. Research shows that retaining a loyal customer costs five times less than acquiring a new one. Even the most famous companies cherish their internal image and try to maintain the morale of employees. The team spirit and morale of the employees determines whether a company with big plans and talented employees will become world famous or will leave only a slight trace in history.

Perhaps no employee need is more important in boosting morale and loyalty to the company than the desire of employees to keep abreast of the activities of their company. One of the main responsibilities of management should be to constantly familiarize employees with the concept of the company's development. Belonging to a company with high standards of appearance and behavior raises the morale of a new employee. But some executives fear that maintaining high standards of appearance and behavior could negatively affect the quality of work of employees. Nothing like that - just the opposite. The very fact that a company hires only good people and thereby maintains high standards increases its attractiveness in the eyes of candidates for vacancies. And of course, it strengthens the team spirit of those who already work there.

Putting clear standards of behavior and appearance in writing makes problem solving much easier. The manual with the standards set out in it will help you start any conversation of this kind. It's great if the development of standards, job descriptions is carried out simultaneously with the creation of the company, even before the first employee is hired. Preliminary work strengthens the image of the company and saves time in the future when solving problems related to employees.

Modern companies that employ the best managers try to satisfy another desire of their employees: the need for respect.

The American subsidiary of the Japanese company Honda, for example, in order to create an atmosphere of equality in the company, abolished traditional management privileges. No more separate car parks. Everyone eats in the same cafeteria. Managers and workers wear the same uniform. In addition to these symbolic gestures, Honda encourages the participation of its workers in decision-making, overtime schedules and shifts, which has always been the prerogative of management.

One of the strongest needs of company employees is the need for an improved internal corporate communication system. A study among employees of large financial corporations shows that at the top of their list of complaints was poor communication between subordinates and management and a feeling that superiors do not respect their employees. When subordinates are involved in two-way communication, when they are constantly informed about what is happening in the company, they feel that they are valued and trusted. And this, in turn, gives rise to a positive attitude of employees towards the company. Well-established corporate communication means more than just the distribution of a constant stream of information. It also includes the study of employees' opinions by managers and personal contact with them.

Honda executives, for example, walk around the factory for an hour every two months and talk with company employees who have come up with the best ideas for improving production.

Employees' need for creativity and the opportunity to make a personal contribution to the company's business are closely related to the desire for sustainable two-way communication. We all think that we have unique talents, that we are special and not like others. When we get a chance to show our Creative skills in work, we feel our importance to the company. No one will be able to maintain a high morale if he feels like a small cog in a corporate colossus. If you give employees the opportunity to make even a small contribution to the common cause, their morale will increase significantly. Conversely, if department heads believe that good ideas are born only in their heads, the motivation for work and the mood of employees fall below zero. The creative contribution of employees to the company's business brings it success.

The need for our work to be appreciated touches the deepest strings of the human soul. We can move mountains if we feel appreciated, and we don't want to lift a finger if we feel unappreciated.

In order to express your approval to subordinates and colleagues, you should not come up with grandiose events, the implementation of which will take you a lot of time. The simplest and most valuable thing to do is to send a note to a colleague with words of praise and appreciation. Employees who are valued by management will value their customer. And the client will definitely feel it.

The need for recognition and reward is akin to the desire of employees to be highly appreciated by others. Recognition of the merits of an employee is a high appreciation of his contribution to the common cause in the presence of colleagues. The praise of an employee in front of his colleagues brings a double benefit, because the effect of its impact is doubled. The promotion serves as an immediate reward for good work to an actor, musician, satirist, professional speaker, or priest. They receive it in the form of laughter, applause and applause. Each of us needs the same recognition, and each of us wants to receive it.

A company that understands the need of its employees for encouragement is very smart. It is not at all necessary that the reward be expensive and abstruse. It can be an unscheduled day off, a gift, a bouquet of flowers, tickets to a sports competition, or even an invitation to a party at the office.

Attention to employees is returned a hundredfold by the devotion of the company's employees, satisfaction from their work, and therefore, the increase in their eyes of the image and prestige of the company. No one can contribute more to a company's corporate image than employees who take pride in their work.

Thus, we can say that the internal image is no less important for the company than the external one. The internal image is influenced by such factors as the loyalty of employees, perceptions of the company, the need for respect, the need for two-way communication, the need for creative work, the need to be appreciated by others, the need for recognition and reward, as well as the need for growth and advancement. The internal image of the company, taking into account all of the above factors, will be very high. And the work of such a company will be more efficient.

5. Social responsibility of business

Social responsibility implies a certain level of voluntary response to social problems from the side of the organization. This response takes place in relation to what lies outside the requirements defined by law and regulatory authorities or in excess of these requirements.

Society has developed certain ideas about how an organization should behave in order to be considered a good corporate member of the communities it serves. The view that emerges from this is that organizations must act responsibly in areas as diverse as environmental protection, health and safety, civil rights, consumer protection, and the like.

The debate about the role of business in society has given rise to numerous arguments for and against social responsibility.

Arguments in favor of social responsibility:

· Business-friendly long-term prospects.

· Changing needs and expectations of the general public.

· Availability of resources to assist in solving social problems.

· A moral obligation to behave socially responsibly.

Arguments against social responsibility:

· Violation of the principle of profit maximization.

· Expenses for social inclusion.

· Lack of accountability to the general public.

Lack of ability to solve social problems.

The product and its quality, the level of service, pricing - these parameters are important in the activities of any company. But how it is perceived by customers and competitors largely depends on its image. It is formed regardless of whether the company specifically works on it or not. Marina Melia, a psychologist with many years of experience, in her book Business is Psychology, gives practical advice about how to define the true image of your company and how to improve it. With the permission of Alpina Publisher, which published this book, we publish its key ideas.

How to make the image of the company work for us

The image of the company is formed regardless of whether someone is doing it purposefully or not. And it is very important to create an image consciously. Today, the leaders of many companies understand this: it is no coincidence that seminars and image-building consultations are very popular.

However, the image of the organization is not only a recognizable brand, the manner of communication of sales managers and advertising on the radio. This is a complex holistic system in which there are no insignificant trifles.

My many years of experience allow me to highlight the basic principles based on which you can create an effective image. It is based on the same triad as in building an individual image: "goal", "people", "I" (here - the individual characteristics of the company). And the “image zone” is the intersection of these three conditional circles.

Target

First of all, you need to answer the questions: what is the organization’s mission, goal, strategic guidelines, which areas are priority, what products and services need to be promoted, etc. If there is a clear understanding of this, then it becomes obvious which elements of the image will work for you , and which ones are against, what is clearly not enough, and what is superfluous.

People

Who exactly is the image aimed at, who is the target audience of the organization? In most companies, it's the customers first. Often the professional community also becomes an important audience.

There are also various agents of influence, for example, authoritative people, experts, government officials, etc. We must not forget about the opinions and expectations of internal consumers of the image - those who work in the company. Which of these groups will come to the fore depends on the activities of the company and its goals. By designating the target segment, you can, for example, clearly define the range of publications where the publication of articles about the company and its advertising will be most effective; identify events and promotions in which it is worth taking part; plan the location of stores and exhibitions; choose the style of souvenirs, etc., etc.

I (individual features of the company)

What are the characteristics of the company competitive advantages, what distinguishes it from others and distinguishes it from the general background? Strengths need to be able to correctly emphasize, and they will work for you both in business and in your image. The “skate” of one company can be many years of experience, another - cooperation with Western specialists and the introduction of the latest technologies, the third - an extensive network of stores in the regions, etc.

An important question in determining the individual characteristics of the company is how the figure of the leader will be presented. Each company decides for itself, depending on its goals and the personality of the leader. Often the head of the company is a clear leader and positions his organization as an author's organization, where his role is very significant. But sometimes it is more important to show the organization, first of all, as a system - in this case, it is more profitable for the leader to remain in the shadows. Important to do definite choice, and then many issues will be resolved almost automatically: for example, whether to put a photo of the head in booklets and reports, what to put on the site, who gives interviews, etc.

Speaking of an effective image, one should not forget about the zone of "proximal development" of all areas of the triad: goals, audience, individual characteristics of the company. You have not yet achieved these goals, you are not yet working with these people, you do not yet have any competitive advantages, but this is already in your plans, you are convinced that you will definitely implement all this. In this case, plans can be written in booklets in advance, sounded in interviews, advertisements, etc. - after all, our words and thoughts are material!

Self image audit

So, if we clearly answer all the questions that arise when analyzing the triad, it will become clear what image the company should ideally have. At the same time, it is very important to maintain a dynamic balance of all components of an effective image, since they are in constant motion: a change in the company's goals can lead to a change in the target audience and, accordingly, the translated competitive advantages, etc.

And in my opinion, not a single strongest PR agency or experienced image makers will be able to clearly monitor these changes, which means that it will not be possible to correct the image in a timely manner - first of all, this is the task of the leader himself. And for this you need to clearly understand what the image should be.

Think about it, how effective is the image that the company has now? How do others see your company - customers, partners, job seekers? To answer these questions, a fairly thorough analysis is needed. However, a preliminary “audit”, which does not require any special preparation, can be carried out on your own - this will allow you to give clear instructions to specialists who will develop specific elements of the image. Such an "inventory", as a rule, takes one day. Let's break this process into three steps.

Step one: what's inside?

I suggested to several leaders of large companies operating in different market segments that they conduct a simple experiment: imagine that each of them is a client who came to their company for the first time. They had the task go all the way the visitor takes, and it was important to look at everything he saw, as the psychologist Eric Berne said, with the eyes of a “naive Martian” - not appreciating anything, not expressing his emotional attitude to what they saw, not rejecting anything right away. Just collect data, mark everything that they notice.

At first, some of them were skeptical about such an experiment: they say, what can you see in your own office, which you see every day anyway. However, the results were amazing: each of them made many discoveries along the way, which made it possible to change a lot in their companies, including a significant adjustment of the image.

The first discovery was waiting for one of the leaders right in the courtyard of his own office: it turned out that visitors could not drive up to the building at all by car - all driveways were blocked by barriers, where only management was allowed to pass, and there were no parking spaces for customers at all.

Another manager, the owner of a large trading and manufacturing company, went on a tour of his own factory, where an exhibition and sale was recently opened. And he was unpleasantly surprised when he discovered that the enterprise itself can be found with great difficulty: the production was located in the suburbs, but not a single sign or identification mark was posted. Moreover, at the plant itself there was not a single plate indicating the company, and even the employees themselves found it difficult to explain to whom it belonged. An unpleasant surprise awaited him in the shops: it turned out that all signs were made in different styles, up to colors and logos. This happened because a year ago the company changed its corporate identity, but all the signs have not yet been replaced. As a result, customers who visited the salons did not even realize that this was the same company.

And here are the impressions of the president of a large bank: “We conducted an active advertising campaign for private clients, in which a lot of money was invested. But as I watched the security and front office staff deal with the numerous visitors who responded to this ad, I realized that they might have gotten the impression that the bank didn't need customers at all. Passes were issued for a long time: you had to stand in line and wait for the guards to get through to the employee to whom the visitor came. And those who did not previously agree with the manager about a meeting could not always quickly find their bearings and understand who could help him: I noticed that many were “transferred” from one phone to another for a long time. Before my eyes, the two turned around and left. And I understand them perfectly!

The CEO of an IT company made a useful discovery when he sat down in the visitor's chair in the client room: the furniture was so uncomfortable that it made him want to end the meeting as soon as possible. In addition, he drew attention to the fact that information materials and Required documents account managers have to print from a computer each time.

And the head of a window manufacturing company discovered that a defective - non-working - window was displayed in the showroom: as it turned out, the shop manager at the plant, a corporate and devoted person, wanted to save money on the exhibition copy.

Another executive, whose office was located on the second, tenth and thirteenth floors of the business center, never thought that this not only "blurs" the image of the company, but also creates many difficulties for clients and employees themselves. So, for example, having tried to follow the traditional path of the client, he discovered that he could only leave the floor with the help of an employee's magnetic card. And this meant that each visitor at the entrance and exit must be accompanied by someone. The situation was even worse with elevators: in order to get from the tenth floor to the thirteenth, it was necessary to first go down to the first, cross the entire hall and take another elevator going up.

During the journey" It's important to keep an eye on employees.- how they greet each other, talk, how they communicate with visitors: their behavior says a lot about the organization as a whole, about how it interacts with the outside world, how it treats the people working in it. It is worth paying attention to what employees are wearing: inadequate outfits can most often be seen in the summer, especially in the heat. Such things can tell about the corporate culture of the company more than all the "correct" statements in leaflets and booklets.

It is very important not to make any decisions right off the bat and not evaluate anything: just observe. Once you have completed your journey, listen to yourself and your associations. What is your image of the company as a “naive Martian”? Try to describe the company you saw, for example by making a list of seven adjectives. Do you want people to get that idea of ​​your organization?

Step two: what's outside?

At the second stage, we are faced with the task collect all the information about the organization that a person can get without coming to the office- after all, most people first get acquainted with companies in absentia.

Today, one of the main sources of information is the Internet. Remember when you last time visited your company's website - maybe two years ago when a new design was made? Notice if your web page is easy to find at all.

For example, an unpleasant surprise awaited the head of a manufacturing company: he positioned his company as a leader in the industry, but found his own website only on the tenth page of a search engine. At the same time, the first link of the search opened an angry letter from a certain buyer - it is not surprising that people trying to get information about the company immediately stumbled upon these negative statements and lost all interest in the company.

The head of another company, studying the site, noted that the last changes on the news page were made six months ago. The “History” section also became a revelation: what seemed correct and obvious some time ago, when the materials were written, now looked ridiculous and illogical.

Try to search the Internet for publications about your company from the last year. It happens that such materials simply do not exist. The question arises why: either the company is not so well known, or the PR campaign is built incorrectly. If there are publications, mark in which publications articles appear most often, whether they are positive or negative, who and what says about your company. If you do not regularly monitor media publications, look at what they write about your company, study ratings, scroll through reviews in magazines - and you will learn a lot of new things.

Such a selection of publications was a revelation for the head of a trading company: his employees commented on a variety of issues, including the work of competitors. The result was such a “vinaigrette” that it was generally impossible to figure out what exactly the company was doing and what its position was.

Most people get the information they need by phone. Is it easy to get through to your company? Some managers experienced a lot of disappointment during such an experiment: in one case, the message on the answering machine, where they asked to wait for the operator’s answer, was recorded in such a tone that there was a desire to hang up the phone as soon as possible, in another it turned out that the wrong phone numbers and the caller were indicated in the advertisement. instead of a sales center, it ended up in the head office.

Read flyers, brochures, presentations. Is everything kept in uniform style, well-written, are there any obvious typos and inconsistencies? Try to imagine what feelings a person may have when he picks up such a leaflet for the first time, sees an advertising stand on the street, hears a video on the radio.

Look with the eyes of an outsider at the gifts and souvenirs that you give to partners and clients. How relevant are they?

After collecting information, again ask yourself what kind of company and try to answer it honestly. Describe the resulting image with seven adjectives and compare with the list compiled after the first stage - "looking from the inside." And then with what you would like to see your company. Is there anything in common? How significant are the differences?

For example, two of the leaders who took part in the experiment were surprised to find that these lists are completely different. But the larger the “scissors”, the more imperfect the image of the company: this suggests that all our “shots” aimed at shaping the image fall into the “milk”.

Step Three: Analysis

And now it is necessary analyze everything that you have learned, seen, heard, decomposing all the information into "baskets" of the triad of an effective image. To what extent does all this correspond to the mission and goals of the company, its strategic guidelines, target audience, individual characteristics? And then you will be able to answer many important questions: why some organizations do not want to do business with you, why strange people approach you, why suppliers cannot work with you for a long time, dear advertising campaigns fail and do not give the expected results, and therefore profits, etc.

If the image is built correctly, then others understand what the goals of the organization are, along which road it is going. However, it often happens that the goals and mission are not broadcast in any way and only a narrow circle of people knows about them. Or, on the contrary, the company declares its goals and strategy wherever possible, but this is completely untrue.

It is important that information about the company is clearly aimed at the target audience: for example, the company advertised mainly in glamor magazines, as the PR agency convinced the manager that this increased the prestige of the company. However, such advertising was completely ineffective and clearly did not contribute to improving the image, since the target audience of the company were older people with average incomes, who did not read such magazines at all.

Also it is important to understand whether the company has a personality at all whether it shows its competitive advantages. For example, during the analysis it turned out that the logo construction company similar to the logo of one of the competitors, which hindered promotion in the market. The investment company did not mention at all that it had been on the market for 10 years, although this was a clear advantage. Commercial bank in all advertising materials was presented as "universal, providing a wide range of services to businesses and the public," but for customers it was no different from hundreds of others who claimed the same. Seeing that the most important advantages of the bank were not presented in any way in informational and promotional materials, its manager realized that the advertising money had been spent in vain. The adjustments made were not slow to affect the results.

It is important to realize that the target image should be based on the real state of affairs. If an organization positions itself as elite, then this should be manifested in every little thing, right down to the rug in front of the front door, the clothes of employees and the quality of coffee that is offered to customers.

When creating an effective image, each element must meet a specific task, otherwise the whole system will crumble and not have a directed effect. At the same time, it is very important that all efforts go in a common purposeful flow. This "accuracy of shots" allows you to automatically cut off all unnecessary and quickly achieve success. In addition, a well-developed image is also a real economic benefit.

The image of the state is one of the factors of its well-being. How the state is perceived by its own and foreign citizens depends on its order and stability, investment attractiveness, support and, in many respects, the success of ongoing reforms within the state, the desire for cooperation among foreign states, and many others. etc. That is why today the political authorities of all civilized countries are concerned about the formation of an attractive image of the state. Also, various aspects of the image attract the attention of researchers in various fields. One of the acute problems of the studied area is the methods and techniques used to form a favorable image of the state. The management of the mass consciousness to create an image can be carried out both on the basis of rational information technologies, and by imposing distorted information processed for specific purposes using special manipulative techniques, which jeopardizes the information and psychological security of the individual. The article examines the factors influencing the information and psychological security of the individual in the formation of the image of the state. Among the important factors, the author highlights the legal support of the information and psychological security of the individual, the civil political culture of society, the level of its intellectual development, the level of stability, the development of the information environment of society, the presence of real competition in the political sphere, etc.

state image

information and psychological security

mass consciousness control

political technologies.

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3. Fadeev V.V. Psychological security as a component of the political image / Political Imageology / Ed. A.A. Derkach, E.B. Perelygina and others - M .: Aspect Press, 2006. - 400 p.

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5. Davyborets E.N. Creating Images of American Presidents / - Germany: LAMBERT. 2014. - 177 p.

In the modern information society, the role of knowledge and information is of particular importance in the life of society. On the one hand, their development has significantly optimized a person's life, allowing him to solve his pressing problems. On the other hand, with the current level of development of the information environment, means of disseminating and transforming information, there are ample opportunities to control the mass consciousness for the sake of someone's interests, causing a threat to the information and psychological security of the individual. In particular, the political image, as a result of mass consciousness control, can both contribute to the well-being of society and the state, and become a tool for deceiving citizens. That is why the study of various aspects of the image, methods and techniques of its creation, which directly affect the information and psychological security of the individual, is extremely relevant. Under the information-psychological security of the individual is understood the state of protection of the individual's psyche from the influence of information factors that cause dysfunctional social processes and can harm the individual.

The purpose of the study is to identify the factors of information and psychological security of the individual when creating the image of the state. The object of the study is the political image. The subject is the conditions of information and psychological security of a person in the process of image-making.

The control of mass consciousness, depending on the information technologies used, as well as the goals of the actors of the political process, can both perform positive functions for society and the state, and be used in a negative "key". Thus, on the basis of mass consciousness control, loyalty to the existing regime is ensured, support by citizens of the authorities for the time of reforms being carried out in society, which contributes to order and stability in society. Through mass consciousness control, it is possible to instill important values citizens - love for nature, sports, respect for the law, loyalty to representatives of other societies, etc. It is also possible to ensure a favorable perception and attitude towards one's state, which is a factor in the stability and well-being of society, which determines the manifestation of patriotism and the desire to act for the good of the motherland .

On the other hand, through the control of mass consciousness, it is possible to harm society, ensuring the loyalty of the authorities that act contrary to public interests, for example, incite ethnic hatred, justify destructive or aggressive policies towards their own and other states, etc. Thus, through the formation of the image of an "enemy" to another state, it is possible to ensure broad public support for military operations with it. By creating a positive investment image of one's state, which has no real grounds, it is also possible to misinform and disorient the public, pushing for investment activity to the detriment of one's own interests.

The current level of development of information technology has opened "open spaces" for the manipulation of mass consciousness. "Currently, there is a tremendous increase in the effectiveness of means of informational influence on the psyche of people and public consciousness" . Moreover, the use of manipulative methods of influencing people is possible, including under a democratic political regime, which also today does not have effective mechanisms for protecting against manipulation. Thus, a number of researchers believe that “the pluralism of opinions that develops in the democratic system of the media is illusory. Often, the plurality and the illusion of choice have one goal - to change the public legal consciousness, political psychology, to introduce false images into the collective consciousness, to push the people to the wrong decisions. At the same time, there are certain conditions that minimize the degree of manipulative influence on people, as well as the possibility of manipulating mass consciousness.

To create the image of the state, the same political technologies are used as for the formation of public opinion, a variety of which is image-making. Special techniques and methods are also used to create the image of the state. Political technologies, including image technologies, can be divided into rational and manipulative ones. The former are addressed to the minds of citizens and do not distort the existing state of affairs, but inform in order to popularize the strengths of the state, to form a positive attitude towards it. Manipulative technologies basically have various kinds of distortions of information (emotionalization of information, "strengthening" of certain aspects of information by putting emphasis on it, the use of psychological patterns of perception, technical features information, etc.), including direct deception of citizens, and psychological methods of pressure on them. At the same time, the person being manipulated has no idea that he is being psychologically affected, as well as the intentions of the manipulator.

It should be noted that often, political technologies are difficult to unequivocally attribute to manipulative or rational due to the fact that they can interact and intersect, and also depending on the goals of image makers. Thus, manipulative techniques and techniques, or informational distortions, can be introduced into this or that rational technology, as a result of which it acquires a manipulative character. Most modern information technologies can be classified as manipulative (manipulation is a hidden psychological impact on an individual in order to subjugate his consciousness, will, behavior).

Manipulative information technologies are not an entirely negative phenomenon, on the contrary, they are an effective and efficient mechanism for forming a bright attractive image of a political object. With their help, it is possible to strengthen the existing characteristics of the object, which is necessary to create a strong holistic image of the state. But also on their basis it is possible to form an image that does not correspond to its “prototype”, that is, to deceive citizens. The image of the state, formed on manipulative technologies and psychological tricks has no less power of influence than based on rational ones. The “inflated” image is also perceived by the public as a reality, and it is a very persistent stereotyped formation that is not easy to destroy. The "strength" of the image, regardless of the degree of its truth, is based on the psychological patterns of perception: people tend to cultivate information that matches their own knowledge, beliefs, ideas, which further reinforces them. On the contrary, what does not coincide with already formed ideas is perceived as false, uncritically rejected by a person, without being subjected to logical analysis.

Minimization of manipulative information technologies is facilitated by the widespread use of rational ones, which are not effective in any social environment. Let's try to answer the question of what influences the choice of methods of influencing citizens when shaping the image of the state? What conditions make effective manipulative information technologies, causing a threat to the information and psychological security of the individual?

Thus, the insufficiently intellectually developed and educated population is more susceptible to manipulative influence. At the same time, it is less amenable to logical arguments, which makes it difficult to use rational political technologies. It is also easier to manipulate people by imposing certain ideological positions and stereotypes; in unstable and crisis times, when various kinds of fears are actualized in society, there is a physiologicalization of needs. Manipulative information technologies are effective in relation to marginalized groups of the population, that is, a high level of poverty and alcoholism in society is a favorable environment for manipulation.

Political socialization, involving citizens in political participation is a factor in the effectiveness of rational political technologies, since the experience of political participation forms the willingness of individuals to delve into political processes, to perceive information not gullibly, but subjecting it to logical analysis. The same can be said about the predominant type of modal personality in society. It is easier for conformists with a passive civic position to introduce prepared information processed for specific purposes, and it is more difficult to prove something with arguments and facts, since they are not ready to listen. On the contrary, people with an active civic position, prone to critical analysis, are more receptive to rational political technologies based on political dialogue, as well as on arguments and evidence. These types of personalities correspond to two types of political cultures - patriarchal and civil. For the patriarchal culture, a conformal personality is more characteristic; politically active citizens predominate in the civil political culture. Therefore, democracy, nevertheless, influencing the political socialization of the masses, and developing an active civic position, is a factor in the information and psychological security of the individual.

The risk factor for the information and psychological security of a person when using manipulative image technologies is the political apathy of citizens. Lack of interest in the political sphere, self-detachment from it is an effective environment for manipulative influence on citizens. The presence or absence of traditions of dialogue in politics also matters. Political technologies based on political dialogue are an effective way to debunk manipulations, destroy imposed myths and stereotypes. But for this, citizens must be prepared to perceive this kind of information. The emergence of dialogue in politics is facilitated by the presence of real competition or opposition, which prevent the monopolization of power, and the formation of public opinion in one direction. Political competition contributes, among other things, to the development of the information environment, diverse coverage of events, which reduces the possibility of unilaterally imposing certain points of view and positions.

What matters in this area is the political system of society, the chosen course of political power: whether an honest and “transparent” information policy is carried out, or whether there is a total state ideologization of mass consciousness, determining the effectiveness of manipulative methods of influencing citizens. The state sets the rules of the "game", which subsequently apply to the entire sphere of political life. Also, a developed information environment, the presence of diverse alternative sources of information, is a factor in the information and psychological security of the individual. Free alternative sources of information are a necessary condition for minimizing the manipulative impact on citizens.

Legislation developed in this area and effective mechanisms for its implementation, which currently have gaps in many countries, can also prevent the deception of citizens through the manipulation of their consciousness. The fact is that in practice it is quite difficult to identify and prove manipulations, as a result of which there is a problem of legislative consolidation of unauthorized information methods of influencing citizens. The problem is still seen in the fact that the legislator, being an interested person in the management of mass consciousness, does not want to tackle this issue himself. The factors of information and psychological security of the individual in the formation of the image of the state are shown in the Figure.

Factors of information and psychological security of the individual in the formation of the image of the state

Thus, the image of the state, formed today by the governments of all civilized countries, as well as other subjects of political processes, plays a significant role in the political life of societies and states. If the image of the state does not significantly coincide with the existing state of affairs, it is capable of harming society by introducing a distorted picture of the world processed for certain purposes into the consciousness of the masses, forcing them to act in a way that is beneficial to certain individuals. The formation of the image of the state is possible through various methods and technologies, among which, from the point of view of humanity and functionality for society and citizens, rational ones are preferable.

There are certain conditions of the social environment and the political system of society that make rational technologies an important factor in the political life of society and contribute to ensuring the information and psychological security of people. Among these, the most important are the experience of political participation of citizens, the intellectual and educational level of the population, the level of stability of society, the development and transparency of the information environment, the chosen course of the state in managing mass consciousness, the presence of real competitors and opposition in the political sphere, as well as legislative provision of information and psychological security. personality. On the contrary, the factors of the information and psychological threat to society are the lack of experience in political participation, the conformism and gullibility of citizens, the bias of the media, political monopoly within the state, the lack of legislative protection of the population in the area under study, crisis periods in the development of society, etc. The optimal for society and the individual is to minimize the manipulative impact on citizens with their broad socialization and education, which determines the popularization and application of rational political image-construction technologies.

Reviewers:

Belous V.G., Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, Professor of the Department of Russian Political Science, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg.

Radikov I.V., Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor, Professor of the Department of Theory and Philosophy of Politics, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg.

Bibliographic link

Why do modern transformations in the military sphere not yet find proper support among the Russians? Why does Russia need an open public policy? Alexander Perendzhiev, Candidate of Political Sciences, expert of the Association of Military Political Scientists, reflects on why a positive image of the state is necessary in the mass public consciousness.

8:33 / 27.11.12

A positive image of Russia as a means of strengthening national security

Why do modern transformations in the military sphere not yet find proper support among the Russians? Why does Russia need an open public policy? Candidate of political sciences, expert of the Association of Military Political Scientists Alexander Perendzhiev reflects on how the formed image of Russia among representatives of other states determines the policy towards our country and why a positive image of the state is necessary in the mass public consciousness.

On the need to form a positive image of Russia

Issues of the image in general and the image of Russia have already been thoroughly studied by domestic scientists 1 , and in March 2003 the Imageology Academy was established in our country, which unites about a hundred academicians and corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 2

The domestic scientific and expert community, we believe, has already figured out the essence of the concept of "image". Therefore, in this article, we plan to analyze the content of the relationship between the image of Russia and domestic national security policy.

To date, there are sufficiently precise criteria by which it is possible to determine the concept of "image of the country".

This is a set of beliefs and feelings of people that arise about the political, historical, ethnographic, socio-economic, moral, psychological and other features of the state.

It is obvious that the subjective idea of ​​the country can be formed as a result of direct personal experience(for example, as a result of living on its territory) or indirectly (according to eyewitnesses, from media materials, etc.).

According to ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, the transformation of the Russian defense sector has been completed. What are the results?

Let us note that the image of a country is a very diverse, sometimes artificially created image of it, which is formed in the minds of people. But since the people themselves are completely different, their perception is also specific; in addition, each person has different information about the country, people's experience of living in it is different.

As a result, the image of the same country in the minds of different people is formed differently. Often the image of a country is formed in the absence of sufficient information and people's own experience.

In this case, the image is based on mass stereotypes (and sometimes delusions and myths), facts gleaned from the media, literary, cinematic and other sources (even from jokes).

Therefore, it is very important for each state in the formation of its positive image to constantly and very actively influence the information space (both national and international).

It is obvious to us that a positive image of the state in the mass public consciousness is necessary, first of all, for the successful formation and implementation of fundamental national interests. National interests, in turn, are motivated and concretized basic goals of the foreign and domestic policy of the state.

Image and politics as related categories

The analysis of world political practice convinces us that neither domestic authorities state power, Russian society has not yet managed to achieve serious image success.

We have to admit that in world public opinion, the current image of Russia remains rather negative, and does not contribute to the successful implementation of the interests of our country in the international arena.

An analysis of the ratio of positive and negative information about Russia suggests that the information space is a kind of resonator, since in it society reacts sensitively, and sometimes even exaltedly, to what is happening in the world, and the opinions of world leaders are actively broadcast.

About Russia in last years in international information flows, it is spoken and written mostly negatively, and this is a deliberately constructed atmosphere, a kind of informational aura into which it was immersed against the backdrop of imitative modernization.

At the same time, expert knowledge is not yet aimed at proposing an integrating (national and international public opinion) project for the image of the new Russia.

We mean a project that would predetermine the clear boundaries of the image of Russia, offer the basic values, symbols, meanings that make up the picture of the world of modern Russia and the core of its image.

In the meantime, the projects put forward for shaping the image of Russia in more focused on bringing the real state of our country in line with the schemes and models of political technologists 5 (but not vice versa).

Model of a positive image of Russia

One of Russia's national interests is a reliable system of its national security, 6 dependent on the image of the state.

Our author's hypothesis is the following assumption : the formed image of our country among the rest of the population of the planet (non-Russians) to a large extent determines the policy towards Russia, and can also determine the specific actions of the political leadership of other states in relation to our country.

And, of course, a change in the attitude of the population of a particular country towards Russia can radically change the policy of this state towards our country and then the state of domestic national security.

When building arguments to substantiate the model of a positive image of Russia, one should turn to three main concepts that underlie it:

• self-image
• perceived image
• simulated image

All of them are in an indefinite and unfinished form. Thus, the image of a superpower that accompanied the Soviet state after the Great Patriotic War, was replaced by a negative perception of Russia in the eyes of both the world and internal public 7 .

In our opinion, it is obvious that if Russia is perceived by foreign citizens as a criminal or weak state in military and political terms, then perhaps such a circumstance may determine aggressive and / or provocative actions on the part of individual states and international communities.

It is no coincidence that Professor V.V. Serebryannikov writes: “The art of forming a favorable image of states, political and military figures, economic and socio-political structures, armies, etc. known from ancient times. But a real revolution took place in the 20th century, when the matter of shaping the image of various subjects of the state and society became one of the most important components of the political, ideological and informational struggle. 8

Therefore, the image is dialectically interconnected with issues of national security and foreign policy states.

The inertia of civil society institutions damages the security of the state

Reflecting on the content of this relationship, it is worth emphasizing that the inertia, passivity of the political leadership, state authorities, and civil society institutions cause truly irreparable damage to the security of the state, society and citizens.

For example, the use of Russian armed forces in South Ossetia in August 2008 clearly showed serious miscalculations in the actions of the Russian authorities and military command and control in the international information space.

Only this passivity can explain the situation when, at the initial stage of the Georgian aggression (that is, even before the entry of Russian troops), public opinion in a number of European countries and the United States was ready to recognize Russia as an aggressor.

Not receiving objective and constantly increasing new information from the leadership of Russia and the Russian Ministry of Defense, the top political leaders of a number of foreign countries in fact, they provided all kinds of support to Georgia, primarily informational.

After the introduction of an additional contingent of Russian troops into the conflict zone, Internet sites and numerous "blogs" literally "exploded" with indignant messages condemning "the aggression of imperial totalitarian Russia against small freedom-loving Georgia." 9

And Georgia itself at that moment was positioned in the information space as a nation that not only restores its territorial integrity, but allegedly also protects the southern borders of the Russian Federation from "terrorists and bandits."

In our opinion, in this particular case, the situation was saved by the fact that for Russia the armed phase of the conflict was fleeting and, on the whole, relatively successful. "Otherwise, - notes a specialist from the Military University O.N. Zabuzov, - the information machine launched by M. Saakashvili, with the clear support of the leading world powers, could seriously worsen the image of Russia in the eyes of the world community and individual foreign citizens.” 10

Even then, political scientists paid attention to the not very high efficiency of the Russian state power in forming a positive public opinion about our country.

So, for example, G. Pavlovsky noted that “Russian accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide were immediately copied by the belligerent Georgia, which recognized the potential for political action in this, and immediately - already from the Georgian side - sent to European courts in the form of correctly delivered papers. ... And our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice repeat all the same formulas, but no one bothered to draw up the simplest papers. 11

However, despite the fact that more than a year has passed since the beginning of the events in South Ossetia, the Russian leadership has not been able to convince the world community of the complete correctness of their actions.

On September 29, 2009, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution on the “Russian-Georgian conflict”, in which it expressed dissatisfaction with the allegedly inadequate actions of our government and the military 12 (although Georgia’s aggression was still officially recognized).

From this, we conclude that as long as the Russian state does not work ahead of the curve in preventing information threats, it itself cannot actually form the world public opinion that Russia needs.

In addition, political fraud, political provocations, betrayals, inaction, uncertainty and instability can pose a threat to national security, among others.

It is known that political provocation is a phenomenon that can influence (primarily due to its shocking effect) the consciousness of society, including certain social and professional groups, parties and socio-political movements, representatives of science, culture, health and etc.

Political provocation is used in many countries as a means of economic, political, ideological and psychological struggle, compromising competitors. It is used as a means of destroying political values, guidelines of the individual, society and the state, and, ultimately, forms a negative image.

A vivid example of a political and informational provocation against Russia, which negatively affected its image, is the case with the Arctic Sea ship in the summer of 2009. The incoming negative (in relation to Russia) information was not only not refuted by the Russian authorities, but even for a long time was not commented on by the domestic media and PR structures.

It seems that in our country they mistakenly considered that there is nothing dangerous in the hijacking of a ship for Russia and its image. However, the real actions of the media, information and PR agencies of a number of states have refuted Russian confidence.

Thus, taking advantage of the lack of information from our country, numerous reports appeared in foreign media and on Internet sites about nuclear weapons allegedly illegally transported on the "Arctic Sea", about the alleged dismantling of "Russian mafia clans" and even about a possible old-fashioned knocking out of insurance from by the owners of the vessel.

The number of unrealistic, and sometimes even fantastic versions of what was happening (on the ship and in connection with the ship) was estimated in the information space by several dozen. In the absence of an objective and balanced position of Russia in connection with the temporary disappearance of the ship, one expert even suggested that the mysterious disappearance of the ship was a theatrical performance, the ultimate goal of which is to provide Russian President expanded military powers. 13

We believe that there is no point in commenting on any versions. In our opinion, the seizure of the ship by pirates, conflicting information about its location, as well as attempts by foreign news agencies to discredit the Russian crew of the ship, suggest another provocation against Russia and its citizens.

Yes, and the nationality of the pirates also gives many countries the basis for such a proposal, since they all turned out to be ethnic Russians, although citizens of different states - Estonia, Latvia and Russia.

Reasons for the weakness of the position of leadership in the international information space

It must be admitted that it is not enough active position Russian leadership in the international information space contributed to the birth of various rumors, fantasies and conjectures. It is these images, specially (not by us) constructed in the information space (according to the apt expression of the French philosopher Jean Baudriard - simulacra 14) that continue to influence the image of Russia.

The unwillingness to actively comment on the often biased and non-objective information about Russia and its citizens by government and specialized structures gave rise to a global public opinion consider all these rumors and conjectures groundless. And as a result, in Once again informational provocation had a negative impact on the image of our country and its national security.

What is the reason for the weakness of the position of the top political and state leadership in the international information space? Why do domestic power and specialized structures yield to similar foreign and international institutions in shaping a positive image of our country? Let us formulate several reasons for this situation.

Firstly , we believe that political decisions in Russia still have closed nature and accepted by a narrow circle of people. In the last decade in our country “The process of making the most important state decisions acquired an openly clan and even “family” character, the role of its shadow component increased dramatically and became obvious to the whole society.” 15

According to researcher V. Vorotnikov, the majority of the population is actually excluded from the political process, the degree of its political participation is low, which objectively reflects the measure of social representation, public control, publicity and civil will. 16 This reason is periodically recognized by the President of Russia V.V. Putin and Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation D.A. Medvedev. 17

Secondly , many scientists and politicians note that at present there is no real political opposition in Russia, which should contribute to the dissemination of political information, ensuring real, and not just formal freedom of the media. This, in turn, contributes to the weak development of information technology, the control of the media only by large media magnates and / or the state.

In this regard, we believe that the head of the Russian government, D.A. Medvedev correctly formulates the problem of the formation of an information society in our country, which is still being solved slowly.

Third , in Russia the gradual “bureaucratization” of politics continues (the number of officials is growing, it is not possible to curb corruption, new institutions of state regulation are not being created). YES. Medvedev, in his article “Forward Russia!” I was forced to admit that the all-powerful Russian bureaucracy hinders the innovative development of the country. 18

Fourth , in our opinion, the task of forming a positive image of Russia in the international information space has not become important and relevant for the entire Russian state policy. Such a conclusion follows, among other things, from the excessive overload of public authorities with various functions (according to the Government of the Russian Federation, the state administration in our country, even after administrative reform is obliged to perform more than 3.5 thousand various functions).

In addition, it should be recognized that in our country a system of specialized institutions has not been formed, designed to conduct state policy only in the information space (we mean the system of media, news agencies and PR structures).

Fifth , our country has much less (compared to European countries and the United States) experience in working in the information space using public relations methods (and not state propaganda).

The first of them is the contradiction between the need for a radical transformation of the economy and the social sphere and ensuring the continuity of presidential power.

The second contradiction lies in the content and direction of socio-economic transformations, since some power structures are more busy satisfying their needs than reforms in the interests of society and citizens. 19

It turns out that in conditions when the interests of the authorities, the public and the majority of citizens are not synchronized with each other, the contradictions and conflict between them will continue to deepen. Meanwhile, the image of Russia (as well as any state) and the state of its national security are interconnected in various ways.

For example, Switzerland does not have a powerful armed forces, but the image of the success of this historically neutral state and the success of the Swiss create for the entire world community the image of a safe country in all areas. public life(political, economic, social, etc.).

Hence the attraction for businesses and individuals around the world to deposit money in Swiss banks. In turn, the growth in the well-being of the Chinese and the economic success of the Celestial Empire on the world stage create the image of the PRC as a country that is currently capable of solving any problems for itself (even in the context of the global financial and economic crisis).

Therefore, along with economic growth in the PRC, the image of this country as a strong military-political state is being strengthened. Almost a direct connection is observed between the image of the Armed Forces of the state and the state of its national security.

What is the reason for the weakness of the position of the top political and state leadership in the international information space? Why do domestic power and specialized structures yield to similar foreign and international institutions in shaping a positive image of our country? Let us formulate several reasons for this situation.

First, we believe that political decisions in Russia are still closed and taken by a narrow circle of people.

According to researcher V. Vorotnikov, the majority of the population is actually excluded from the political process, the degree of its political participation is low, which objectively reflects the measure of social representation, public control, publicity and civil will. This reason is periodically recognized by the President of Russia V.V. Putin and Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation D.A. Medvedev.

Secondly, many scientists and politicians note that at present there is no real political opposition in Russia, which should promote the dissemination of political information, ensure real, and not just formal freedom of the media. This, in turn, contributes to the weak development of information technology, the control of the media only by large media magnates and / or the state. In this regard, we believe that the head of the Russian government, D.A. Medvedev correctly formulates the problem of the formation of an information society in our country, which is still being solved slowly.

Thirdly, gradual “bureaucratization” of politics continues in Russia (the number of officials is growing, corruption is not being curbed, new institutions of state regulation are not being created). YES. Medvedev, in his article “Forward Russia!” I was forced to admit that the all-powerful Russian bureaucracy hinders the innovative development of the country.

Fourth, in our opinion, the task of forming a positive image of Russia in the international information space has not become important and relevant for the entire Russian state policy. Such a conclusion follows, among other things, from the excessive overload of state authorities with various functions (according to the estimates of the Government of the Russian Federation, the state administration in our country, even after the administrative reform, is obliged to perform more than 3.5 thousand various functions). In addition, it should be recognized that in our country a system of specialized institutions has not been formed, designed to conduct state policy only in the information space (we mean the system of media, news agencies and PR structures).

Fifthly, our country has much less (compared to European countries and the US) experience in working in the information space using public relations methods (rather than state propaganda).

The reasons we have listed allow us to formulate two fundamental contradictions in contemporary Russian politics.

The first of them is the contradiction between the need for a radical transformation of the economy and the social sphere and ensuring the continuity of presidential power. In our opinion, the main political players and public authorities prefer to be more engaged in the search for a "successor" to the head of state than in the development of the national economy.

The second contradiction lies in the content and direction of socio-economic transformations, since some power structures are more busy satisfying their needs than reforms in the interests of society and citizens. It turns out that in conditions when the interests of the authorities, the public and the majority of citizens are not synchronized with each other, the contradictions and conflict between them will continue to deepen.

Meanwhile, the image of Russia (as well as any state) and the state of its national security are interconnected in various ways.

For example, Switzerland does not have powerful armed forces, but the image of the success of this historically neutral state and the success of the Swiss create for the entire world community the image of a safe country in all areas of public life (political, economic, social, etc.). Hence the attraction for businesses and individuals around the world to deposit money in Swiss banks.

In turn, the growth in the well-being of the Chinese and the economic success of the Celestial Empire on the world stage create the image of the PRC as a country that is currently capable of solving any problems for itself (even in the context of the global financial and economic crisis). Therefore, along with economic growth in the PRC, the image of this country as a strong military-political state is being strengthened.

Almost a direct connection is observed between the image of the Armed Forces of the state and the state of its national security. The image of the army of the USA, Israel, Germany, China is high, therefore high level located in these countries and national security.

Many states that are at the stage of their formation, in order to increase the level of their national security, are working to form a positive image of their Armed Forces as militarily strong. Examples of such states are Venezuela, Kazakhstan, North Korea and Iran.

Can the transformations to bring the Russian Armed Forces to a new look be considered as actions to create a different image of the Russian army? In our opinion, definitely yes. However, at the same time, the reduction in the number of personnel, the replacement of a large number of military positions with civilian ones, and the positions of officers and warrant officers with sergeants, causes concern and an ambiguous assessment in Russian society. So, for example, at the next regional stage of the All-Russian Forum "Strategy 2020" held in Blagoveshchensk on October 2, 2009, Hero of the Soviet Union, head of the Amur Legislative Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs Yu. Kuznetsov spoke harshly on the issue of modern transformations in the military sphere.

“At one time, there were 7 divisions on the territory of the Amur Region, and now we have, excuse the non-parliamentary expression, a castrated army,” he said. “Veterans, old people are turning to me, what will happen to the army, where are we going, who will defend the border?” . Thus, in Russian society, there is still an opinion that the formation of a new image of the Russian Armed Forces does not yet contribute to strengthening the national security of the country.

It should be noted that the transformations themselves Russian army began without wide public coverage in the media and other information channels of the military reform plan. In this regard, we believe, objectively there is some public discontent.

“The immediate reason for the strengthening of opposition sentiments in the military environment was the hasty and large-scale transformations not accepted in military circles,” writes D.L. Tsybakov, - A dull murmur turned into open indignation when information began to leak into the press about a fundamental change in the functioning of military organization states".

Only after the already begun structural changes and official measures in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation caused unrest in Russian society, did high-ranking representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense begin to comment in the press. At the same time, there are still few comments from the first persons of the state.

“Misunderstanding and direct dissatisfaction with the course and results of the radical military reform being carried out by the Ministry of Defense is growing in Russian society and in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The truth of life is that practically no one in the country can clearly explain the idea, essence and goals of the ongoing reforms, the stages of the reform and the methods of its implementation, ”the Address of veterans of the Armed Forces to the President of the Russian Federation says.

All these facts, unfortunately, cause distrust in the ongoing reforms in the military sphere and do not find broad public support. And this, in turn, can damage the national security of Russia.

Based on this, we believe that the less information the authorities hide from the public, the more citizens will trust their government. And the sooner the broad masses of the population will support the authorities in any matters, including in ensuring national security. As the deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, chairman of the committee on constitutional legislation and state building V. Pligin noted: “Our security will lie in how healthy, healthy society we can build, and how much it will cooperate with the state.”

However, for the time being, Russian political reality lacks both a wide awareness of the population about the ongoing transformations in the military sphere, and, accordingly, support for these transformations on the part of the population and, above all, military personnel, military service veterans and members of their families.

“The fact that many of the modern undertakings, apparently justified by time, is not taken into account by the military community,” writes D.L. Tsybakov, - The reason for the dissatisfaction of everyone who is in any way connected with the army lies in the unceremonious and very radical nature of the transformations carried out without taking into account the opinions of well-known military specialists and experts. The methodology of the ongoing reforms, the style of communication of the new management team of the Ministry of Defense cause in many respects fair criticism from many honored professionals of the military craft.

Why do modern transformations in the military sphere not yet find proper support among the population of the country? In our opinion, the answer must be sought in the peculiarities of the socio-political structure of Russia. A political scientist needs to answer the question: is modern Russian society open or closed?

“An open society,” writes A.S. Akhiezer, - perhaps in a civil society, where culture and the entire system of relations are oriented towards stimulating the development of the individual as a subject of creative innovation. In civil society, a state is being formed that is able to protect the rights of everyone to form cultural innovations ... to fight for free participation in political dialogue at all levels of society.”

Why does Russia need an open public policy? Many domestic experts note that today in Russia the state, represented by the state apparatus, is often guided by outdated rules of administrative management and interaction with society that have long lost their effectiveness. Citizens of the country expect from their political and state leaders not only normative acts or pointing recommendations, but also seeking advice from society itself, as well as concrete deeds to provide for the urgent needs of people. After all, power receives the right to exist and lead the country from society, and, not noticing its fundamental interests, it seems to be deprived of its original foundation. And this, in turn, conceals main danger for the existence of power structures in their current form.

In our opinion, an open public policy will enable the public and socio-political institutions to control the actions of the authorities. In fact, such a policy will discourage inefficient and inappropriate use national resources, including those allocated for the needs of national security and defense of the country. Openness and publicity will contribute not only to the formation of the country's image as a militarily strong state and fair in the use of military force.

Modern Russia needs, first of all, the image of an effective state capable of protecting its interests and the interests of its own citizens in any conditions. At the same time, it is necessary that the Russian top leadership form its own image of a government concerned with the realization of the interests of Russians and the protection of the citizens of their country.

So the above features political regime in Russia have a direct impact on the formation of the image of our state, which, as we found out, in turn affects the state of national security. Often, it is the closeness and narrowness of the political decisions made, and the presence of a numerous and not always effective bureaucratic apparatus in Russia that do not allow us to form a positive image of our state.

What measures need to be taken to create conditions that will allow forming a positive image of Russia?

First, we consider it necessary to fundamentally change the system of influence on society by the authorities. Namely, it is necessary to move from the system of public administration, which implies an administrative style of management and the presence of a large bureaucratic apparatus, to a system of state regulation, which is based on the principle of political influence on society by political elite and reliance on the processes of self-regulation and self-organization of society and citizens.

Secondly, it is necessary to create strong domestic information structures (like SNN or BBC) that could successfully compete with similar world information structures.

Thirdly, it is long overdue to train a large number of professional "PR specialists", image makers in the field of creating a positive image of Russia, promptly responding to constantly emerging challenges and threats in the international information space.

Of course, all these specialists should be arranged according to their specialty. In general, our country needs a program to create a positive image of Russia. In this program, there should be a place not only for state authorities, but also for business, civil society, political parties and citizens. Only in this case, this program will be successfully implemented.

Used Books:

1. See for example: Vasishcheva A.V., Nenasheva A.V. Image: definition of the central concept of imageology // Social and humanitarian knowledge. - 2005. - No. 4. - S. 311-317;

Berezkina O.P. Political image in modern political culture: Abstract dis. … doc. polit. Sciences. - St. Petersburg, 1999, etc.

3. Cm. scientific works of O.P. Berezkina, M. Bocharova, E.A. Galumova, L.G. Lapteva, E.A. Petrova, L.I. Pirogova, S.M. Tuchkova, E.V. Frolova, A. Chumikova and others .

4. Cm., for example: Chumakova A.A. Information and image policy of the country in cultural coverage (on the material of the Russian and foreign press) : Abstract. dis. … cand. kulturol. - M., 2007. - 25 p.

5. Cm.:

6. See: National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2020

7. Cm.: Features of the transformation of the image of Russia

8. Cm.: Serebryannikov V.V. The image of the army // The image of the army - the image of Russia / Ed. E.A. Petrova, V.P. Delia . - M.: RITS AIM, 2006. - S. 15.

9. Armed conflict in South Ossetia and its consequences. - M.: Krasnaya Zvezda, 2009. - S. 87.

10. Zabuzov O.N. Russia's actions in the information space in connection with the armed conflict in South Ossetia // Armed conflict in South Ossetia and its consequences . - M.: Krasnaya Zvezda, 2009. - S. 91.

11. Cit. By: Samarina A. Girl and showman // Independent newspaper. - 2008, August 18.

13. Cm.: "Flying Dutchman": the strange disappearance of the Arctic Sea

14. A simulacrum is an image without an original, a representation of something that doesn't really exist. For example, J. Baudriard called the 1991 war a simulacrum in Persian Gulf, in the sense that there was no way for those watching this war on CNN to know if there was anything really there, or if it was just a dance of pictures and excited propaganda reports on their TV screens. Cm .:

15 . See, for more details: Voslensky M. Nomenclature. - M.: Zakharov, 2005. - S. 372-375.

16. Cm.: Vorotnikov V. Political decisions: theory and Russian shadow practice // Browser. - 2004. - No. 1. - S. 83.

17. See for example: Medvedev D.A. Go Russia!

18 .Cm. there.

19. T Arantsov V. Image political leader and national security

20. Cm.:

21. See details:

22. See, for more details: Appeal of veterans of the Armed Forces to the President of the Russian Federation: The military leadership will have to answer to the nation for the quality of decisions made and the results of actions

23. Cm.: "Strategy 2020" was projected on the Amur region

24. See details: Tsybakov D.L. Is the increase in the activity of opposition veteran organizations the result of the “Serdyukov reform”?

25. Cm.: Akhiezer A.S. How to “open” a closed society . - M.: Master, 1997. - S. 16-17.

26. Cm.: Bayakhcheva S.L., Illarionov S.I. The ideology of civil society. - M.: RIN ProfEko LLC, 2006. - S. 19.

27. See details: State regulation in the modern political process in Russia. Scientific monograph / VC. Belozerov, S.V. Demchenko, I.M. Karelina and others - M.-Orel: ORAGS, 2009. - S. 17-18.