In any true profession, the practitioner deeply understands the importance of research-based knowledge in guiding the work and measuring the results. Recently in Bulldog Reporter’s Daily ‘Dog, I offered a few insights on new thinking that is driving the science of public relations. These included:
- More attention to the three kinds of research articulated by James E. Grunig, Ph.D. (professor emeritus at the University of Maryland): research in the practice of public relations, to guide and evaluate actual PR programs; research on the practice of public relations, to better understand what we do and how we do it; and research for the practice of public relations – the social science underpinnings for our work.
- Under-researched public relations models. For example, the personal influence model may be more widely practiced than even media relations. Yet there is little solid research on it – perhaps because we’re embarrassed to admit the importance of personal networks and trusting relationships to the work we do.
- What other disciplines can teach us. We rarely take time to think about what economics, law, cultural studies, political science, sociology, social psychology, linguistics and even communications theory have to say to public relations. That robs us of opportunities to greatly (and quickly) expand our knowledge base and understand what’s really going on when we seek to build public relationships and resolve issues.
- Getting researchers to think more like practitioners, and vice versa. Too many practitioners seem to equate research to junk-science surveys to get a headline. Too many scholarly researchers seem focused on adding minute points to the academic literature instead of things practitioner actually care about.
I deeply believe that practitioners and academics who really get the science beneath the art of public relations™ will hold the real power in this profession as we move into the future. I hope you’ll take a look at my column in Daily ‘Dog and respond below with your own insights.
Frank Ovaitt
President and CEO
Institute for Public Relations
Absolutely right, Frank.
When public relations in practice is confronted with other science such as marketing, law, economics and social science – usually PR students or academia will loose the battle. It is therefore we need to equip our students with other disciplines that will help them think as a part of the management team, rather than as an exclusive PR practitioner.
Our master of management in communication program in Indonesia, is inspired by the Grunig’s excellence theory, where we combine management based subjects with public relations subjects as a concentration, http://www.mmcommtrisakti.com. This curriculum was based on a series of study findings that managerial and strategic positions of public relations in most companies here were occupied by non communication/PR background. The problem is then faculty credentials – we have lack of practising academia, as teaching is less interested than practising PR as in consultancy. To eliminate the gap between theory and practice, we organize public relations week – a ten year campaign to change public perception that public relations is really a scholarly body of knowledge, a profession – rather than a single practice or promotion and publicity alone. (http://prweek-indonesia.21publish.com).
We need your support –
Elizabeth Goenawan Ananto – Jakarta, Indonesia
There is urgent need for differentiation of Public Relations from other marketing communications and this can only be achieved through persistent research dedicated for that purpose, if not we will all keep recycling what we or others have done.
It is however pertinent to state that this effort must be global.
Just an opinion!
Teaching PRs as a University course and being a profession somehow contradict/or create confusion to our students. The questions is, what are the parameters of PRs as far as management is concerned? Though we talk much on research based profession, yet there a lot ot do, even to convince the managers that PRs is more than that! The image, “dog” somehow somewhere smells out unfinished work of PRs, is that so? Well, it is high time to think critically on how we can use research to complete the unfinished work of PRs.
Right on Frank!
I have been preaching this for years. Too many in our profession are caught up in the trend of the year, which seems to be forgotten when something else looks more glamorous.
Also, I get the feeling that we are becoming an marketing organization, rather one that this focused on building understanding and shaping public opinion.
Just a thought from this old man in the hills….