Determining the official rank or precedence of the stakeholders is to determine who is most important to us. Who ranks first, second, third? This determination is eventually used when a tailor-made protocol is developed and the rank is applied in, for example, the order of the flags, assigning the seats and the order of the speeches.
Order of precedence is a hierarchical ranking of primarily functions. In general, it does not rank individuals, but the bearers of a specific function. The precedence is determined in an objective way. For example, a head of state is the representative of all the inhabitants of a country and is therefore considered to be ‘more important’ than, for example, a mayor who ‘only’ represents the inhabitants of one city.
Determining the precedence is not an exact science. There are rules determining the rank among equals, among different groups and among individuals. The rules of precedence are often complementary, but sometimes they contradict each other. It requires some practice to deal with precedence and to be able to put officials in the correct order.
Protocol to Manage Relationships Today: Modern Relationship Management Based Upon Traditional Values (Amsterdam University Press, 2020) explains the value of protocol, not only for Monarchies or diplomatic institutes but for every non-profit or for-profit organisation. The book presents protocol as a method to build strong authentic networks of reciprocal relationships.
Order the book here.
Other rules to determine the rank or precedence of officials
Groups of officials are ranked in the following order:
- Royalty.
- Diplomatic corps (ambassadors).
- Senior (elected) officials (politicians).
- Senior civil servants.
Among equal representatives rank also applies:
- The period of service (by seniority).
- Or the alphabet.
Rules to determine the rank outside government organisations
At corporate events the rank among guests is often determined by commercial goals:
- Large clients.
- Clients.
- Small clients.
This method uses annual revenue or profit to determine who is ‘large’ or ‘small’. Another option is:
- Oldest clients.
- Clients.
- Newest clients.
Source: Protocol to Manage Relationships Today (Amsterdam University Press, 2020)
