Organizational Identity

43 should succeed in giving strong associations to green policies, even among those who did not follow or care for politics.

Hans explains that his communications firm, Geelmudyen Kiese, had ranked the Green Party to be the political party that was the best when it came to social media during last year’s election, but that this was because they used the social media to engage in dialogue with the electorate, not because of any logo. In his view, the Green Party was not a logo, but people. In his view a political party is not a piece of soap that can be branded.

The external stakeholders found that the Party were successful in having a coherent visual profile that the visual profile was a good reflection of the Green Party’s brand. In terms of the visual identity of the party, the internal and external public relations stakeholders’ views appeared to harmonize to a great extent. However, the external stakeholders did express concern that the visual image of the party leads to a too shallow understanding of the party and overshadows what the party actually stands for. But, it can also be suggested that the voters do have a good understanding of the brand of the Green Party through visual representations, and that the party is in fact living up to the

expectations and promises that are made implicitly through the visual profile of the party. If the voters understand the visual brand of the party as being young and exciting, then it can be argued that the visual image of the brand is successful.

44 values are in harmony with the values of the organization. And as employees in the Green Party they tend to be ambassadors for the organization. He says that: “we all have a responsibility to live according to those values on a personal level and in my opinion, most of us do”. For example, he says, “You try to avoid using air planes, serve vegetarian food at meetings and try to live in accordance with our values in everyday life”. But, he adds that they are a part of the same societal structures as most people and are not without error either, even if they try to advocate a “certain degree of coherence between how we live and what we preach.” He also adds that media loves to catch them, whenever there is a

dissonance between how the Green Party thinks that society should be, and how they live their lives as employees and human beings. An illustrating example of this comes from Laurie who gives an example of a few weeks ago when the party leader of the Green Party was observed as a passenger on an airplane, and was promptly criticized heavily in the press. Other similar incidents has also occurred where the Green Party has received media coverage for riding airplanes while being committed to reducing the use of planes, or the use of taxis in areas where they wish to ban the use of cars (Solvik-Olsen reagerer på De Grønnes taxitur fra NRK-debatt, n.d; Frp-politiker reagerer på at MDG-byråd valgte fly framfor tog, n.d).

Laurie drives a car and eats meat, but she also has a horse and likes to be out in the woods. She says that the employees and politicians in the party are human beings like everyone else, “we’re not special people. We don’t stand out in any way by being morally superior”. She also says that of course they ride airplanes and that their mission is not to be

“hyper - ethical creatures” (Uber-etiske vesner), but to change the basic structures of society so that everyone can make greener everyday decisions. But they still try to do their part. The party office generates very little waist, most furniture is second-hand, party t shirts are organic and fair trade, and the printer is rarely in use. She says that “we do what we can within the frames of society”, but that the goal is to change those frames, and “none of us try to look like angels or better human being than others”.

All the external stakeholders had strong opinions of that as a politician, you need to

“practice what you preach” and that there had been too many public incidents where members of the Green Party were “caught” violating these principles.

According to Jarle, it is quintessential for a politician to live by his words in order to build trust with the voters and to be taken seriously. For any politician there is a very central

45 theme that goes: “practice what you preach” and he felt that at this point, the Green Party has completely failed to deliver in the eye of the public. As an example he says that

something is very off for most people when a party leader that wants to ban cars in Oslo, drives an SUV in private. To put it somewhat extremely; no one from the Green Party should have a car; he said. And although most people probably would welcome the Green Party leader to own a car, the party has played it out so that the public could very well perceive that he should not own a car, “if you don’t drink you shouldn’t have liquor in the cabinet.”

Jarle conceded that this was to put it somewhat extremely, but when the Green Party themselves come across with such extreme ideas in the public debate, they have to accept that the voters will do the same, and that this kind of behavior can make the Green Party loose the kind trust they need in order to appeal to a large segment of the voters.

Hans also mentioned the fact that the party leader drives an SUV as an example of a serious breach of the principle that as a politician, you must live the way you preach. He gave the example that while the Green Party is fighting to clear Oslo of cars; City Hall insists that they should get to keep their private underground garage, which is a very typical thing the press would satirize over.

Lisa said she found the Green Party to be a party where the behavior of the

members did not match with the expectations, and mentioned that prominent members of the party was observed by the press riding taxis in the city center right after suggesting that all cars should be banned from the same area. In total, she said, they have a very consistent profile and brand, but the people from the party are failing to reflect the things they say accordingly, so the brand sends mixed signals. She also thought that the Green Party politicians, with their lifestyle and values, came across as portraying themselves as a little better than other people, which only made things worse when they behaved in ways that did not correspond with their political values.

Through my conversations with the external stakeholders I also got the impression that because of the Green Party’s focus on sustainability and the environment, they are held accountable to a higher standard and more rigid practices than members of other political parties would have been. I am also willing to speculate in that this higher standard can be additionally fueled by how the external stakeholders had an impression of the Green Party as a party that wants to intervene in people’s private lives by for example limiting the use of cars as means of transportation. It can be speculated that negative reinforcement can fuel

46 resentment from voters and that this helps raise the standard of behavior the Green Party is held to by voters.

For the Green Party this has several implications. Firstly, they could be failing to communicate that they are also just humans, and not better than other people, and part of the same societal structures that everyone else are. Secondly, it is likely close to impossible to govern a country or a city of the magnitude of Oslo without riding air planes or taxis every once in a while and they will have to communicate this clearly. Thirdly, they could also be failing to realize the importance of behavior in relation to their outward image and need to carefully consider this. And finally, it could also be that because they are perceived to set such a high standard in relation to the environment, they will have to adhere to that

standard themselves and make necessary lifestyle changes to accommodate that standard.

5.2.2 Culture

Laurie called the Green Party “a green, youthful, agile, breath of fresh air in politics” and said that a part of the soul of the Green Party is to make politics more accessible to more people. On purpose they appeal to voters who has not been politically active before and that the representatives from the Green Party join the Green Party out of frustration of the old political system. During the City Hall election in Oslo last year, she considered the party to be a new, fresh, alternative, which were physically young and very optimistic.

Sindre considered the Green Party to be a bit “uncomplete”, and perhaps a bit

unexperienced and impatient, but also as a very genuine party. And he believed people may perceive them as a hip party. There was no doubt among the two that for the Green Party, the climate came first, and they both left an impression that the culture of the party was a bit more laidback, less formal and more casual than compared to more established parties.

This was also an impression I got from the external stake holders. Lisa considered them to be slightly alternative as an organization, and that the politicians were unlike traditional politicians in the way they dress, ride bicycles and embrace more alternative lifestyles. Jarle also described them as a fairly alternative, hippie sort of politicians with bicycle lifestyles, but also as fresh and exiting to the public eye. At this point I do not

observe any gaps or conflicting views between the external and internal stakeholder group.

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