Study links PR skills to business strategy
1 October 2009
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New BU research will help identify the key skills that PR professionals need to help their organisations survive and thrive in an era of tight budgets. |
Researchers from BU’s renowned Media School have initiated research to identify the knowledge, skills and breadth of expertise required of today’s senior public relations and communications specialists.
In particular, the study will focus on identifying the capabilities required of PR professionals as their roles become more tightly linked to business strategy, particularly in the economic climate.
The research, in conjunction with the US-based Institute for Public Relations (IPR), is made possible through a grant by the Institute by the Coca-Cola Company. Results will be published on the Institute’s website in the first half of 2010.
“The focus for this research is the knowledge, skills, relationships, 360-degree vision and managerial abilities that senior public relations and communications professionals will need in five years,” said Robert W. Grupp, President and CEO of the Institute for Public Relations. “As a profession, we need to do a better job identifying what it takes to prepare the next generation of leaders in globally integrated organisations.”
To explore these questions, Dr Tom Watson, Deputy Dean of the Media School at BU and a member of the Institute’s Commission on Public Relations Measurement and Evaluation and fellow Bournemouth academic Dr Chindu Sreedharan have reviewed professional and academic literature. Shortly, they will undertake research among leaders in public relations who will be presented with a set of propositions about professional knowledge and expertise. Among the topics being explored will be:
- Analytical skills required for PR professionals to become trusted senior advisors
- Competencies in strategic management that need to be part of senior communicators’ portfolios
- Proof of performance and demonstration of value of communication strategy to organisations
- Greater competency in culturally-sensitive communication
- Creation of social capital and the maintenance of an organisation’s ‘operating license’
“Public relations professionals need to ensure that communications is ever-more tightly linked to overall business strategy and less on organisational publicity,” Grupp added. “There also should be greater emphasis on mentoring by senior communicators for mid-level staff on problem-solving and organisational demands in order to develop them as trusted counsellors, not just superior communications technicians.”
Dr Watson commented that the challenges facing communicators are growing rapidly. “The reputation of organisations is increasingly challenged in this age of rapid response. Communicators need to be educated and trained on higher skills than ever before, and this research will identify the most important skills and knowledge areas,” he said.
Headquartered at the University of Florida, the IPR is an independent non-profit organisation that bridges the academic and professional fields, supporting public relations research and mainstreaming this knowledge into practice.
The IPR’s educational programs include professional colloquiums for leaders in public relations. At the successful first European Professional Colloquium held at the University of Warwick in November 2008, thought leaders explored how corporations must adapt to thrive, particularly given the current global economic challenges.
- Institute for Public Relations
- MA Public Relations
- MA Advertising and Marketing Communications
- Dr Tom Watson's staff profile
- Dr Chindu Sreedharan's staff profile
