A 2009 study identified situations that open the door for public relations practitioners to elevate their role and influence executive decision-making.
How do you successfully operate at the highest levels within corporate communications or public relations practice?
In a handful of situations, the function is elevated into management within an organisation. Management recognises that it needs to access the necessary skills and expertise to support decision-making and operational execution.
The COVID-19 pandemic was an example. Senior practitioners joined emergency response, resilience, and management teams to help manage the public health emergency, changes to supply chains, stakeholder relationships, and changing working patterns. The situation is slowly reverting.
In a 2009 study, Prof Dr Shannon A. Bowen identified five situations within organisations.
Organisational crisis
A crisis often opens the door for practitioners to advise management, though this tends to be short-lived, as in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ethical dilemma
When the organisation faces an ethical dilemma, management may turn to public relations for counsel on resolving it responsibly. Ethics training is critical for practitioners to fulfil this role. The impact of artificial intelligence in organisations and geopolitical issues are a live example of this issue right now.
Credibility gained over time
Consistently providing sound advice and correct analysis can slowly build the credibility needed for inclusion, but it takes many years.
Issue high on the media agenda
When the organisation deals with an issue attracting significant media interest, the public relations function is often called on to manage the issue. Societal issues make this an emerging opportunity for practice.
Leadership
In exceptional circumstances, practitioners take on a leadership role that grants them authority and autonomy as part of management. This requires governance expertise, decisive judgment and counsel.
I would recommend to practitioners who want to advance and elevate their contribution to management to recognise the opportunity presented by these situations to assert their expertise.
There is a note of caution that explains why public relations practice experienced a pandemic bounce. The management role of public relations is often temporary and reverts as soon as the situation passes. Exploring how it can be sustained is another post for another day.
The study is based on 32 in-depth interviews with senior practitioners who identified as part of an organisation’s dominant coalition or management function. It also includes a focus group and survey to gain additional insights.
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Shannon A. Bowen (2009) What Communication Professionals Tell Us Regarding Dominant Coalition Access and Gaining Membership, Journal of Applied Communication Research, 37:4, 418-443, DOI: 10.1080/00909880903233184
Diary of a PhD student 