Public Relations

A Managerial Perspective

Danny Moss, Barbara DeSanto

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781446291245
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Marketing
• Index: Business

Taking a managerial perspective, this book explores public relations and its role in the wider organizational world. Contributors explore a variety of contexts in which the relevance of understanding these two interlinking domains is so paramount, such as corporate branding and reputation, government relations and community communications, as well as drawing on experise of legal considerations and ethical awareness.

The effective management of public relations is crucial within any organization, but a wider managerial awareness and support of its role is equally critical. Public Relations: A Managerial Perspective offers an original and vital discussion of these challenges for second and third year undergraduate and postgraduate students of public relations, corporate communications and public affairs.

Frameworks and Contexts

1

---

This opening part of the book comprises five chapters that define the disciplinary boundaries and scope of the subject matters that this book focuses on. More specifically, in this opening part we examine and set out the core managerial framework that we have developed, drawing on management and public relations theory, to inform our understanding of the managerial responsibilities and management processes as applied in the communication/public relations context. Here we also explore the management skills and competencies required of practitioners working at a managerial level within the public relations functional area, and conclude by examining the concept and process of strategy-making and planning in the communication/public relations context.

---

Public Relations Journey into Management: Building Bridges between Public Relations and other Managerial Functions

1

Barbara DeSanto

---

Key Themes

• Reviewing the main categories of public relations literature to understand why and how public relations history has internally and externally contributed to the definition of what the profession is today
• Understanding the implications of public relations history in the profession’s quest to be recognized at the managerial level
• Considering eight challenges facing public relations professionals as they move into and work in management positions at different organizational levels

---

INTRODUCTION

Through the Looking Glass: Turning an Inward Focus into Outward Relationships

When Grunig and Hunt (1984) described public relations as ‘the management of communication between an organization and its publics’ (p. 6), their intention was undoubtedly one of seeking to position public relations as a mainstream ‘managerial’ function within organizations, to be treated on a par with the other more traditional organizational functions such as human resource management, finance, production, and marketing. While perhaps recognizing that such a claim for equal status in the functional hierarchy within organizations might prove controversial, it is highly unlikely that Grunig and Hunt would have forecast the degree of debate and controversy that has gradually emerged around the use of the term ‘management’ to describe the function and practice of public relations. Indeed, public relations scholars perhaps saw little reason to view the use of the term ‘management’ per se as at all controversial; yet as we will show later, by the time that Grunig and Hunt’s book was published, a long-running debate was already well under way among management scholars about the nature of management and managerial work. It is not, however, our intention to challenge the basic premise contained in Grunig and Hunt’s definition or any of the many other definitions of public relations, namely, that public relations should be treated as a ‘managerial function’ as opposed to a largely communication oriented, technical function. Moreover, we acknowledge and support the arguments that for public relations to be fully effective in a managerial role, practitioners need to have access to and influence among the senior management team within organizations. However, as a number of academic and professional commentators have pointed out, such access and influence has to be earned, and here we argue that this demands that practitioners demonstrate the necessary skills and business acumen to deserve their place at the ‘top table’ within organizations. What we intend to do within this book is to examine in more depth what the ‘management’ of public relations involves, what management practices and processes are involved, and what skills and competences those aspiring to be communication/public relations ‘managers’ need to possess or develop.

The Excellence Concept

Perhaps the single most influential piece of extended research that has been conducted into public relations practice over the past two decades has been the so-called Excellence Study conducted by James and Larissa Grunig and their co-researchers, which set out to address the fundamental question of ‘How, why, and to what extent does communication affect the achievement of organizational objectives?’ (Grunig, Grunig, & Dozier, 1992: 2). In articulating some 14 principles of ‘excellent’ public relations, the research team emphasized the importance of having public relations recognized as a distinctive ‘management function’ in its own right, and argued that senior practitioners should have access to and participate in the strategic decision-making process within their respective organizations. However, it clear that in advancing their theoretical framework, the excellence team was concerned almost exclusively with the most senior levels of management and with the ability of public relations to function effectively at that level by contributing to strategy and policy making within organizations. While acknowledging the importance of such senior level involvement for public relations, as many studies have shown, such involvement remains far from the ‘norm’ found in most organizations where public relations is often still treated as a largely functionary and tactical function. Moreover, we also believe that this emphasis on public relations involvement at the ‘strategic decision-making level’ within organizations tends to overlook the need to also examine public relations ‘management’ as manifested at the operational/departmental levels. In fact, if we are to develop a comprehensive theory of communication/public relations management there is a need to explain and understand both the strategic and operational dimensions of management as manifest in different levels of public relations practice. Indeed, management scholars (e.g. Hales, 1986, 1999; Mintzberg, 1994; Stewart, 1976, 1982) have acknowledged that much management time is spent on what is often quite ‘messy’, largely tactical and operational activities, rather than dealing with the more rarefied levels of policy and strategy formulation. This distinction between tactical and strategic management work is something again which we intend to clarify, examining how these terms apply in the context of public relations work.

The Public Relations Society of America’s Manager Description

An interesting perspective on the application of the management concept in the public relations context can be seen in the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Professional Career Guide (1993) (see Figure 1.1), which describes the interpretation of the various career levels in public relations work. Here, the term ‘manager’ is identified as the middle level of the five career levels, which like Grunig et al.’s excellence model, suggests that some time and experience in the practice are needed before it is possible for practitioners to assume managerial responsibility. The PRSA’s description of managerial work provides a useful reference point in developing our explication of managerial work and managerial responsibilities at different levels within organizations, and in particular, how they apply in public relations work.

The Career Guide’s description of a public relations manager focuses on skills and knowledge needed to be a manager, including responsibility for ‘planning, organizing, directing, and motivating staff, budgeting, problem-solving and problem identification. Managers must be able to ‘sell’ programs, both inside the department and in other areas of the organization. They often conduct meetings and make presentations or speeches, analyze situations and develop plans of action’ (PRSA, 1993: 4).

Thus, in developing our perspective of the manager’s role and managerial work in the communication/public relations context, we have drawn on both the existing academic and professional literature to help formulate what we believe is a more comprehensive and effective framework for examining the work of practitioners operating at different levels within organizations and therefore, by implication, having different levels of responsibility in terms of both tactical/operational and more strategic managerial tasks and challenges.

Here, the PRSA Professional Career Guide provides a useful basis for examining the types of tasks typically performed as a combination of strategic and tactical, representative of both the levels below and above the managerial level (see Figure 1.2).

Note: In 1993 the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) developed a career progression structure for practitioners. Each step was defined by roles and responsibilities. The emphasis in this book is on the manager/director levels.

FIGURE 1.1 The PRSA Five Levels of Career Practice

Source: Public Relations Professional Career Guide © 1993 by The PRSA Foundation.

In this book we attempt to provide insights into how public relations practitioners can address such managerial challenges, which will enhance not only the individual practitioner’s status, but also the status of the profession. Armed with this knowledge, we believe practitioners will be better equipped to manage the communication/public relations function more effectively while also demonstrating a general level of managerial competence comparable to that of managerial-level staff from other functions within the organization.

---

MANAGER

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Responsible for departmental operations and for constituency and issue trend analysis. Necessary skills include planning, organizing, leading, evaluating, problem solving and consulting.

TITLES AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS:

Manager of Internal Communications

The person in this position manages all “mass’’ communications with employees. The function often includes periodical publications, newsletters, magazines, video programs, speeches and specialized materials designed to communicate with employees.

Manager of Member Relations

This title is used in membership organizations such as associations and societies, where members are a special constituency and are as important as customers or shareholders in other types of organizations. The function usually includes responsibility for newsletters, magazines, issues papers, the organization’s annual report, audiovisual presentations, and (sometimes) special materials related to the organization’s annual membership conference.

Manager of Investor Relations

Manages activities related to communicating the company’s financial matters to investors, stock brokers and financial analysts.

Manager of Marketing Communications

Manages the preparation of marketing-related communications materials, public relations and promotions. In consumer product organizations marketing activities may dominate the public relations function, and corporate public relations may serve primarily in the area of investor relations.

Community Relations Manager

Manages public relations activities related to the locations where the organization has a major presence. This includes the city where the organization is headquartered as well as locations regional/district offices, distribution and manufacturing facilities. In corporations, this function generally includes liaison with local news mediar the management of the company’s corporate contributions program, and planning and conducting major special events.

Manager of Research

Responsible for managing all activities related to the gathering of information needed in management decision-making, as well as in the production of publications, audiovisual presentations and speeches.

Manager of Audiovisual Communications

Manages all activities and personnel involved in planning and producing videotape and multimedia presentations intended to convey specific messages to a precisely/defined constituency.

Issues Manager

Manages the function responsible for gathering information on political, economic and social trends that may affect the future of the organization and its products. The function may be staffed, or services may be provided by outside sources.

OTHER TITLES:

Typical titles in public relations and advertising agencies;

Director of Public Relations

Director of Account Se...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Notes on Contributors
• Introduction
• Part One: Frameworks and Contexts
• Part Two: Public Relations in Practice: Applying Frameworks and Contexts
• Part Three: Public Relations and Specialist Contexts
• Index