1. Public Relations strategic roles REVISION Learning Units 2 25 March 2010

2. Revision of Learning Unit 2 to prepare for the mid-term test through  questions and answers  theory revision  application discussions 2 DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision 7/4/2011

3. LU 2: Need for PR’s strategic role Discuss concept of role and types of roles in strategic PR management pp 71-72 Discuss the functional responsibilities of PR pp 72 Read and internalise the communication challenges article pp 73-74 Differentiate between the different PR roles of strategist, manager, technician pp 74-75 Discuss the theoretical framework of the strategist role of PR pp 77-78 Discuss and apply PR’s redefined roles at macro, meso and micro levels in an organisation in tabulated format pp 78-79 Discuss and tabulate the roles of the strategist, manager and technician pp 75-77 Discuss the metamorphosis of PR pp 77 Discuss PR strategy p 78 Read and internalise Lyme Bay case study pp 81-86 DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision 3 7/4/2011

4. Strategic Roles and PR [1] Roles research aims to identify the types of practitioner roles that account for day-to-day activities of Public Relations 1970s PRPs seen as consultants to dominant coalitions (with power to make strategic decisions and change organisational structure) with each role providing distinct types of assistance Understanding PRP roles is essential to understanding PR Roles affect professional achievement and the structure and processes of the PR function and its organisational capacity to dominate or co-operate with its environments Roles enable performance measurement and determines how PRPs interact with environments and those with whom they cooperate 4 DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision 7/4/2011

5. Strategic Roles and PR [2] Broom identified four theoretical roles ▫ expert prescriber – conducts research, identifies problems, develops and implements programmes, has little/no influence on strategic decisions, passive in management ▫ communication facilitator – go-between, interpreter, creates communication link between management and stakeholders, sensitive listener, information broker, removes barriers ▫ problem-solving process facilitator – assists in problem solving, works with top management, part of strategic team ▫ technician – provides communication and journalistic skills to implement activities/programmes, does not conduct research to plan or evaluate work 5 DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision 7/4/2011

6. PRs’ role in the organisation and society Public Relations role in an organisation is to: Create mutual understanding and benefit, and beneficial relationships between organisation and publics Assist the organisation to achieve socially acceptable goals by creating a balance between commercial and social imperatives so that the organisation can adapt to or maintain its environments to help achieve strategic goals Manage reputation – what the organisation says and does and what others say about it – to help the organisation and its publics adapt to one another Source information to asses issues and advise management to integrate the knowledge into the organisation’s philosophy (the way in which the organisation functions and what it believes in) DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision 6 7/4/2011

7. PRP’s redefined strategist role [1]  Strategist:  Assists organisation to adapt to societal and stakeholder environments  Feeds information into organisation’s strategy formulation process wrt strategic stakeholders, societal issues and the publics that emerge around the issues  Monitors relevant environmental developments  Anticipates consequences for organisation’s policies and strategies  Fulfils the role of boundary spanner and windows and mirror roles  Forms part of strategy formulation team  Positioned at macro or top management level in organisation  Tabulation on p 75 of Student Manual 7 DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision7/4/2011

8. PRP’s redefined manager role [2]  Manager:  Duties associated with middle management – PLOC  Functionally responsible for formulating communication strategy and implementation plan, counsel organisation’s leader about communication responsibilities and oversee PR’s support to other functions  Positioned at the functional, departmental or divisional level of an organisation  Decides on communication to stakeholders to solve problems that developed in the relationship or to capitalise on opportunities presented  Defines, differentiates and prioritises key strategic issues in strategy  Conducts PR channel analysis and develops communication policy  Develops strategic communication plan for all divisions 7/4/2011DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision 8

9. PRP’s redefined technician role [3] Steyn & Puth (2000) redefines this role as:  Technician  Functions at implementation/operational level – not management level role  Responsible for implementing communication plans or campaigns directed at organisation’s stakeholders  Skilled in the execution of Public Relations activities, such as writing, social media applications, event management, media liaison, website content management  Traditional PRP role most often played by practitioners  Assists PR manager in developing implementation plan/s from communication strategy 7/4/2011DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision 9

10. Theoretical framework for Strategist [1]  PR is a dynamic and constantly developing field of study in a prominent and growing industry in SA  Strategic Public Relations or strategic communication management (corporate communication) assumes PR has a strategic management function (Steyn, 2007)  PR mandate is to function at strategic level of organisation  Technology and new approaches to business led to metamorphosis in PR  PRP strategist functions at top management level with responsibility for strategic PR management  Done through environmental scanning, gathering info about stakeholder concerns and expectations to identify societal issues, interpreting the information and feeding the consequences into organisational strategies 7/4/2011DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision 10

11. Theoretical framework for Strategist [2]  PR involved in both deliberate and emergent strategy formation Mintzberg’s views (1987)  As deliberate strategy: pattern of decisions for using communication as strategic opportunity in organisational goal achievement  As emergent strategy: pattern of important decisions for using communication to solve problems in the organisation or in communication in unstructured situations or to capitalise on opportunities presented 7/4/2011DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision 11

12. Macro, meso, micro levels  Public Relations functions at macro, meso and micro levels in organisation  Macro level looks at PRP role as that of a strategist  Meso level looks at PRP role as that of a manager  Micro level looks at PRP role as that of a technician  Strategist role, through boundary spanning and environmental scanning provides input to top management levels and organisational strategy formulation processes  PRP roles tabulated on p79 of your Student Manual 7/4/2011DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision 12

13. Conclusion o Role of PRP strategist highlighted to demonstrate the contribution that Public Relations makes to the organisation o PRP roles at macro, meso and micro levels of organisation are implemented through mirror and window functions o All three PRP roles therefore apply the mirror and/or window functions in a formal (information acquisition) or informal (information disposal) manner o Inputs and outputs at strategic (top management), managerial (functional) and technician (implementation) levels of organisation DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision 13 7/4/2011

14. Outline the functional responsibilities of PR with a strategic mandate p 72 Discuss the redefined roles of PRPs as a strategist, manager and technician (in table or paragraph format) and give examples of implementation for each role p 75 Explain the PRP role at the macro, meso and micro organisational levels (table or paragraph) p 79 Discuss the functional responsibilities of a PR manager p 76 Justify the need for a PRP to have a strategic role pp 78-79 Explain boundary spanning as a Public Relations role p 76 14 DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision7/4/2011 LU 2 Questions: PR strategic role [1]

15. Answers: Lyme Bay case study Lyme Bay case study pp 81-88  Identify fulfilment of three different PRP roles  Strategic role: Environmental scanning, issues and consequences and identification of main key target and five strategic publics  Managerial role: Campaign planning, managing implementation and production of materials and approaches, partnership liaison (Marketiers), lobbying  Technical/technician role: Implementation of wide range of activities such as annual meetings, exhibitions, media campaign and website creation and tactics such as Lyme Bay Reefs report, postcards, running of e-petition, consultation responses, use of website DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision 15 7/4/2011

16. Commitment to your studies gives you a conqueror’s attitude: WIN IT ALL 16 DPR3-Public Relations-LU2- Revision 7/4/2011