My first year as a public relations PhD student hasn’t been straightforward or particularly enjoyable, but that’s normal.

My original PhD research proposal sought to explore the contribution that public relations made to organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic. I quickly discovered that the elevated status of public relations practice has limited basis in theory. It was unlikely ever to be sustained.

I also discovered that almost all the contemporary issues in public relations practice that are debated within the industry associations and media have been explored over the past 50 years, but practitioners rarely engage with research.

Public relations is a relatively young and insecure profession that has yet to realise its potential. Indeed, there’s a small army of researchers that view it as a force for evil in society.

Developing a research question

In the past month I’ve had a breakthrough having made the shift from public relations literature to management literature. I’m developing my studies around three principles that have emerged from my work.

1. The requirement for public relations in management is clearly described in literature (e.g., strategy, planning, stakeholder management…) but managers do not necessarily recognise the need for public relations expertise as part of a management team. There’s a related point that managers have no preparation for dealing with the public.

2. Public relations practice has repeatedly failed to realise its potential as a management discipline. The rationale is well understood (e.g., education, training, measurement…) but only exceptional practitioners realise their optimal potential. Practitioners fall short of many of the attributes of a profession.

3. There are exceptional situations where public relations does become part of management (M&A, crisis, regulated markets…), or progressive management recognise its potential contribution. We need to better understand these conditions and how they might be developed.

The anxious student

The past 12 months have been a challenging and uncomfortable experience. I’m reassured by more experienced colleagues that this is completely normal.

However, it has been an incredible period of self-development. As a student you’re inundated with information and advice but ultimately need to find your own way. It’s a bit like the first year of marriage or parenting.

I’ve read thousands and thousands of words and spoken to dozens of people. I’ve written, rewritten, and deleted thousands of words. I experienced a period of anxiety from March to September.

Researchers frequently explore the perspective of public relations practitioners. That makes sense for a young profession, but I’m keen to work with management teams. I envisage investigating a range of organisations where public relations is applied optimally to deliver value.

I have also recognised my own position on the continuum of public relations researchers from idealistic to critical. I’m developing my research around a pragmatic perspective that is critical of practice but supportive of it realising its potential within management.

Research community

I’ve managed my study around full-time work. I have been religious in spending 15 hours per week on research, and often more.

There are times when I wish that I could dedicate myself fulltime to research but I don’t think it would be nearly so fulfilling. The daily experience of shifting from theory to practice delivers tremendous value. The opportunity to share ideas with different networks is invaluable.

There’s an incredible research community in public relations. Meeting people that have written the books and papers that I’ve been studying has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the past year. I’m excited to see where the next 12 months take me.