How do you solve a problem like the strategic role of public relations in management?
I’m honing in on a PhD research study with thanks to my community,
I haven't taken any time off this summer for the first time in several years. It's partly circumstance - we're busy on several fronts at Wadds Inc. - and partly situational.
It has enabled me to focus a significant amount of time on my PhD research studies. I'm tightening my research question with each day that passes and have reduced my hypotheses from 20 to three.
Here's where I have landed.
Problem statement
"We know what we are, but know not what we may be."
Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5, William Shakespeare
What factors prevent public relations from being recognised and utilised as a strategic management function, and how can these barriers be overcome?
Hypothesis 1
Management undertakes much of the public relations role, but doesn’t recognise it as public relations practice. It only calls on expert support in a minority of situations. There is no formal preparation in management education or training for the public relations role.
Hypothesis 2
The situation of a public relations function within an organisation is the greatest determinant of its effectiveness and value by management.
Hypothesis 3
Public relations practitioners aren’t qualified in terms that management understands and doesn’t adhere to professional management standards.
Each hypothesis has a series of supporting research questions that could form the basis of an original research study. I will continue the refinement process as I think about a methodology.
I appreciate the conversations and connections that result each time I post on my blog and LinkedIn. The feedback is invaluable and always takes me to a better place. I've described it as a public laboratory.
There's novelty in this approach and the knowledge management techniques that I've developed using contemporary tools. That may be a subsequent area of study.
I’m travelling to the World PR Forum and Praxis conferences in India in September. Thank you to conference director Amith Prabhu for the kind invitation to present a keynote.
I look forward to testing these ideas with an international audience.
I'm also planning to take some time off.
