As the public relations profession matures, many in PR wonder aloud - or silently - why communications is often an afterthought in organizations. Too often, communications executives feel left out until it's time to issue a news release, or time to field questions from the media or employees.
Though unquestionably of great, at times indispensable, value to corporations and other organizations, the fact remains that public relations, corporate communications, or whatever name this field is given, is not automatically given a seat at top management's table.
Indeed, it is an open question whether public relations ever will attain the status of accounting, law, sales, marketing, engineering, strategic planning and other functional areas.
These are areas that in most large organizations can expect to be led by an officer of the corporation. But while vice presidents in public relations and corporate communications are common, in most corporations, the top communications officer is not also an officer of the corporation.
Why Isn't PR Invited?
Unlike functions which have automatic officer-level status, PR and communications have to prove they deserve to be there. That happens when every day, in ways large and small, PR managers prove how they and their staff add tangible value to the business.
"We should be strong advocates for what we do," said Bruce Berger, formerly vice president corporate communications at Whirlpool Corp. and Upjohn.
"There are a number of us who carry our hat in our hand" when approaching management, he said. "It's almost an apology," added Berger, now on a fellowship at the University of Kentucky working toward a Ph.D. in international and inter-cultural communications.
Most people who have thought about this quandary say the solution is a single-minded focus on organizations' business objectives.
"Top management is looking for support, alignment, and contributions toward meeting the organizational objectives -in a much more direct way than communicators and PR folks have provided in the past," said J. David Pincus, Ph.D., head of the MBA program and a research professor in communication at the business school of the University of Arkansas.
Concurred Berger, practitioners "don't necessarily understand business objectives as well as we should," and "don't always direct our communications to business goals."
The focus on the business logically entails programs and responses focused on business objectives, and expressed in business terminology.
"We need to try to translate, as much as possible, our measures [media results, audience analysis, etc.], into measures that are part of the way traditional business persons would measure effectiveness," said Pincus. "That's not easy, and continues to be a challenge to us as a profession."
One way to relate them to management is to use terms that "are becoming credible and understandable - like reputation and crisis management," he said. (See text box).
Another reason for PR's weak credibility may be the fact that communications is taught little at most business schools, so future managers receive scant exposure to it.
A study of 215 MBA programs in late 1995 found that barely one-half (52 percent) require students to take at least one communications management course.
Nonetheless, this is an improvement from a similar study completed in 1991, when 70 percent of programs required no communications classes, said the University of Arkansas' Pincus, who led both research efforts.
Granted that there are reasons why PR executives haven't been given a chair in board room -what can they do to earn a place at the table?
According to Pincus, one approach is to focus on making communications valuable to the CEO: "seek out communication opportunities for the CEO," and show him or her the value of communications and public relatins. Also, take every opportunity to counsel the CEO on pivotal issues. (Pincus, 501/575-6139; Regan, 205/877-1874; Berger, 616/233-7285)
Tom Moore, former editor of PR News, operates Corporate Communication Studies, a Rockville, Md., firm that produces reports for and about the communications function. He can be reached at 301/279-9455 or by e-mail, at [email protected]