PR-Bridge

Here’s a vicious cycle:

– Most business executives never take public relations courses in their schooling

– As such, they equate public relations with publicity or crisis management (or some other limited view)

– Public relations professionals and educators do not a good enough job helping people understand their worth

– Communicators, as a result, are not widely admitted into management’s inner-circle of strategic decision-makers

This vicious circle, along with its more unethical offshoots, such as public relations being perceived as a female profession thus less “strategic,” is the primary reason that Grunig’s so-called “Excellence Theory” has not worked as a foundation for the public relations profession. The theory necessitates that public relations practitioners are accepted into the “dominant coalition,” or in plain English, the group of executive’s that direct an organization’s strategic initiatives.

Here’s an excerpt of my response to a post at PR Conversations:

The whole equation seems pretty simple: if Grunig’s so-called “Excellence Theory” were beneficial to practitioners, then they would have adopted it wholeheartedly over the last two-plus decades.

The communications profession would welcome a magic bullet if one existed…the “Excellence Theory” isn’t it. If it provided the benefits Grunig assumes, then it would be at the front of every communicator’s mind.

Professionals yearn for innovation, just like their colleagues in other professions. For example, look at the business world’s acceptance of innovative management theories (say, for example, Six Sigma) over the last several decades. If it works, adoption is not difficult.

No matter how much individual teaching a professional does within her organization, she is fighting a losing battle, particularly if her colleagues (with business degrees and MBAs) don’t buy into the theory.

So, for 20-plus years, educators have spun their wheels teaching Grunig’s models, while students confront an entirely different world after graduation.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again. The so-called “Excellence Theory” is a foundation of sand for public relations. Attempting to build on it is not going to work. Sometimes a poorly designed house simply needs bulldozed.

If professionals and educators really wanted to do something beneficial, they would reject Grunig and begin building a model that enables professionals to do their jobs better and organizations to communicate more effectively.

The most worthy challenge facing the profession, for instance, is determining return on investment (ROI). If the professional and educator communities could come together to find better methods of calculating ROI, then show its value to business leaders, the benefits for the profession would be priceless.

Some of Grunig’s ideas might even play a role in the new model, certainly there will be times when symmetrical communications works best (but could never be the sole means of interacting with audiences). Time, however, has proven that “Excellence” isn’t excellent. After decades, the field needs to move on. The commitment to it is hindering advancement.

[The slide presented above is from a Grunig presentation in Hong Kong, published electronically in the PR Conversations post linked above.]

Recently I told a dear friend that I accepted an assistant professor position at my alma mater Kent State University. Her initial brief reply (because she works for a gigantic consulting firm and is constantly working) basically stated that she could not get the lyrics of “Welcome Back” out of her head. Since we are both pop culture fanatics, she must have known how those particular lyrics would play, since they are so deeply ingrained in the Generation X mindset.

Ever since, I have had the same song happily ringing in my ears, particularly the lines: “Well the names have all changed since you hung around/But those dreams have remained and they’ve turned around.” Then, I start thinking, this really is a dream come true! The fantastic aspect is that the priceless benefits I received at Kent State, I now get to return to my students there.

You see, for me, Kent State is where my personal evolution began. Foremost, getting my M.A. in American History under the guidance of eminent historian Lawrence S. Kaplan transformed the way I thought, wrote, and assessed myself as a student. He instilled a passion for research and intellectual curiosity. Dr. Kaplan was the model of scholarship, teaching, and compassion that serves as the core of my own work.

When I transitioned from academe to the professional communications world, the skills I learned at Kent State benefited me greatly, particularly understanding how to write and critically and strategically think about issues. Realizing that someday I would go back to teaching, I used my Kent connections (realizing the benefits of networking, long before it was a vogue topic) to get a book deal, essentially beginning my journey as an author and writer.

Since joining the fine faculty at the School of Mass Communications at the University of South Florida, I have drawn on the lessons learned from my professors at Kent State in determining how I should conduct myself as a teacher. My desire to be the most productive scholar possible is also derived from the influences of my mentors at Kent State.

Thus, every success I have had is derived in some manner from my experiences at Kent State.

Given this scenario, one can only imagine the thrill I felt when Bill Sledzik and I started discussing an opening at PRKent. Bill and I previously built a friendship out of common interests (and sometimes disagreements) about public relations, always drawing the talks back to the central thesis: How can we better prepare our students for the professional world? My respect for him and the great things he had to say about his colleagues at Kent State made me yearn for the position.

My experiences visiting Kent State solidified everything Bill and I discussed. The faculty members are brilliant teachers and scholars and the remodeled Franklin Hall facility is state of the art. What I liked best, though, was the electricity in the air at Kent State. Everyone I met in the College of Communication and Information faces the future with excitement and anticipation of great things ahead. I knew right away that this environment is for me. The public relations faculty members, my new colleagues, are so good, that I just hope I can come in and contribute to an already excellent team.

In January 2010, I will be primarily responsible for building the M.A. program in public relations and directing graduate student theses and projects, an opportunity that I cannot wait to start. Also, I plan to play a significant role in establishing an online M.A. public relations program, which will blend cutting-edge curriculum and technology, thereby enabling students all over the world to gain from the same kind of M.A. experience I had while at Kent State.

Clearly, I am overjoyed to return to Kent State as a faculty member. Who wouldn’t, considering the winning team that I am joining. More important, though, is that I know I have something to offer Kent State students and the university community. Perhaps, if I am lucky, I will be able to inspire some of them the way that Dr. Kaplan and my Kent State mentors inspired me.

Like the song says, the faces may have changed, but the dreams are still there — Welcome Back!