1. The need for Public Relations to have a strategic role
ROLES AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Learning Unit 2 pp 71-77
31 March 2011

2. Homework feedback Learning Unit 1 revision test
Status on Project Legacy
Status on Project Lead SA (recently launched)
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011

3. Outcomes
Concept of role and types of roles PRP fulfils within strategic management
Functional responsibilities of PR
Recognise redefined role of strategist
Recognise redefined role of manager
Recognise redefined role of technician
Apply PR role at macro, meso and micro levels
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011

4. Roles and Public Relations [1]
Roles research identifies the many activities in PR and how PRPs can deal with them
1970s: PRPs seen as consultants to dominant coalitions with each role type providing distinct forms of assistance (Glen Broom)
PRP roles essential to understanding PR function
Roles impact on achievement and enable performance measurement
Roles determine how PRPs interact with their environments and those with whom they cooperate
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011

5. Roles and Public Relations [2]
Historically, Broom identified four roles.
Expert prescriber as the PR expert who:
Best informed about communication and PR issues
Best qualified to answer questions about these issues
Conducts research, defines communication problems, develops and implements PR programmes
Has little/no influence on strategic decisions
Has passive management involvement
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011

6. Roles and Public Relations [3]
Communication facilitator
Interpreter or communication link between management and stakeholders
Sensitive listener and information broker who removes relationship barriers between organisation and clients
Problem-solving process facilitator
Assists in solving corporate communication problems
Works with top management, part of strategic team
Public Relations Technician
Provides communication and journalistic skills to implement communication programmes
Does not conduct research to plan or evaluate work
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011

7. Functional responsibilities of PR with a strategic mandate
Develops communication strategy
Addresses emerging societal and stakeholder issues identified through environmental scanning
Formulates PR strategy to achieve PR goals
Develops, implements and evaluates communication plan to support deliberate and emerging strategies
Counsel organisational leaders on communication responsibility toward employees
Manages activities of a support function
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011

8. Class activity
Read through case study on pp about: “Communication challenges for the next decade – are we taking our role seriously?”
Identify five key words that describe the role of the PRP in the case study
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011

9. Differentiating between PR roles [1]
PRP as strategist
Assists organisation to adapt to its societal and stakeholder environment
Takes place through feeding information to strategy formulation process as regards strategic stakeholders, societal issues and publics that emerge around these issues
PRP as manager
Performs duties of middle management position
PLOC, staffing, budgeting
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011

10. Differentiating between PR roles [2]
Functional responsibilities of PRP as strategist
Monitors relevant environmental development
Anticipates consequences for policies and strategies
Fulfils boundary spanning role
Forms part of strategy formulation team
Performed at macro/top management level
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011

11. Differentiating between PR roles [3]
Functional responsibilities of PRP as manager
Formulates PR strategy (deliberate and emergent)
Develops strategic PR plan
Develops communication policy for organisation
Councils leaders/managers on communication responsibility
Oversees PR function’s support to other functions
Performed at departmental/divisional level
Decides what to communicate to stakeholders to solve problems with stakeholder relationships or capitalise on opportunities
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011

12. Differentiating between PR roles [4]
Functional responsibilities of PRP as technician
Performed at implementation/programme level
Responsible for implementing communication plans/ campaigns directed at stakeholders
Traditional role performed by most practitioners
Refer to three tables on pp 75 to 77 for three different roles
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011

13. Framework for strategist [1]
Strategic PR or strategic communication management or corporate communication assumes PR to be a strategic management function with a mandate to function at a strategic level
PR is a dynamic and developing field of study
One of most prominent and growing industries in SA market
Development of technology and new approaches to doing business has led to a metamorphosis in PR as well
Strategist functions at top management level with responsibility for strategic PR management
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011

14. Framework for strategist [2]
Accomplished through:
environmental scanning, gathering information about stakeholder concerns and expectations, identifying societal issues and feeding consequences into organisational stratgies
PR strategy conceptualised as (Mintzberg, 1987):
Deliberate – pattern of decision to use communication as a strategic opportunity to achieve organisational goals
Emergent – pattern of important decisions to use communication to solve organisational problems in unstructured situations or capitalise on opportunities
Conceptualisation of strategic PR role
Macro, meso and micro levels
Roles through boundary spanning and environmental scanning provides input to strategy formulation processes
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011

15. Homework Read through the Lyme Bay case study on pp 81 – 86
Answer the two questions as the end of the case study to hand in and discuss in class
DPR3-Public Relations-LU2.1-PR Strategic Role /3/2011