Insights into the future role of public relations in management

I’ve reached a milestone in my doctoral project. Two years of research have been condensed into a series of hypotheses and research questions.

My original thesis was that public relations practice had been elevated in management during the COVID-19 pandemic and that the situation might provide insight into the future development of practice.

Asserting the value of public relations to management and improving the diversity and quality of practice has become the driving obsession of my career. It’s the purpose of Wadds Inc.

After two years of reading and writing, discussions, and arguments, I can explain precisely why public relations had a pandemic boom and why it has reverted almost as quickly.

It’s incredibly frustrating, but I’ve learnt that’s part of the process. It strikes me that a successful PhD project is as much about persevering with a project for five or six years as it is about exploring a topic in-depth and creating new knowledge.

I’ve found the development of an argument most difficult. It’s as easy to make the case that public relations is a force for good, as it is for evil. Likewise, a range of practitioner expertise, from amateur to highly skilled, all fall under the same label.

I’ve had to locate myself in the body of knowledge and range of views. Public relations scholars range from supportive of practice to highly critical.

It has been deeply uncomfortable challenging everything I’ve done during my career. I’ve learnt that building knowledge is fragile and never straightforward.

My current thesis is 25,000 words. It reads like a very dull graduate textbook rather than a dynamic argument for the future role of public relations practice in management. It lacks a clear point of view. I’m going to start over during August and do a complete rewrite.

The work hasn’t been in vain. It’s part of the process that has enabled me to reach a series of hypotheses. I’ve set these out in this document. These are truths, supported by knowledge, that I will continue to refine and test.

In the spirit of working out loud, I’d love to hear from you if you have a point of view. Sharing updates, good and bad, on my blog and LinkedIn has become a defining and valuable part of this project. One of my supervisors likens it to a public laboratory.

The resulting conversations and feedback always take me to new and interesting places. I’ve discovered a community of practitioners applying public relations within management, operating at the highest levels within organisations, typically regulated markets, carbon-intensive industries, mining, and healthcare.

Each hypothesis that I’ve set out maps against a research question. This sets up the project’s next phase, which will be explored through original research.

I am concerned that my topic is too broad for a PhD project. It’s more typical to investigate a niche, of a niche, of a niche, of a niche. I plan to spend the Autumn refining my topic and reducing my research questions to a manageable size.

What is clear is that the relationship between management and public relations is both sub-optimal and under-researched. The project has the potential to make a significant contribution to knowledge.

Thanks for reading. Please let me know if you have a perspective that might be helpful.