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Letter from the Expert

Research:
Key to a Seat at the Table
Jim Grunig shares evidence for the strong correlation between the use of research and a strategic role for PR.

This is an excerpt from an email sent by Dr. James E. Grunig, Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland, to members of the IPR Measurement Commission. Reproduced here by permission.

12/13/06
Commission Colleagues,

Since sending my message this morning about data showing the strong correlation between the use of research and a strategic management role for public relations, I came across [this] article [Lages & Lages, 2005, see the abstract here] while searching a database for another purpose. This is a study published in the European Journal of Marketing about the variables that explain whether British PR practitioners do "managerial public relations." The results fit the same pattern as those of Jeong-Nam Kim. By far the strongest predictor of practicing managerial public relations was expenditures on research...

It's also interesting that practitioners who use the most research evaluate graduates of public relations education more negatively as well as "professional bodies" in public relations. This suggests to me that professional associations and PR education still reflect the old messaging, publicity approach to public relations rather than a research-based strategic approach.

The bottom line, though, is that these two studies are beginning to show that research is the answer to the question of how public relations can get a seat at the table, become more strategic, and serve a counseling rather than a messaging role.

-- Jim Grunig

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