Strategic Communication
Lecture 1: Introduction to Strategic Communication, Purpose
and Engagement
The course
Communication between organizations and various stakeholders, embedded in social,
organizational, and societal dynamics.
● Stakeholders: Consumers, students, politicians, all kinds of groups who are relevant
in society; all kinds of different interests > can cause conflict.
● Social: stereotypes, trust
● Organizational: culture, identity
● Societal: mediatization, polarization
○ Micro- and meso-level
Ferguson (2018): Building theory in public relations: Interorganizational relationships
as a public relations paradigm
Role of theory and theory development
● “Importance of well-grounded theory to the practice of public relations.” (Belang van
een goed onderbouwde theorie voor de praktijk van public relations) (p. 165)
● Role of paradigms (Kuhn, 1970)
○ Kuhn (1970) definieerde een gemeenschap van geleerden als degenen die
een paradigma delen.
○ Theories > to understand what is actually happening, to put something in a
specific category (crisis), to make predictions.
○ To accumulate knowledge.
○ "De verwerving van een paradigma en van het excentrieke type onderzoek
dat het mogelijk maakt, is een teken van volwassenheid in de ontwikkeling
van een bepaald vakgebied" (p. 11).
Themes and paradigms in public relations
● General classes of the articles
○ Introspective (43.9%): studies over deelgebieden
■ Onderwijs in public relations
■ Ethiek en maatschappelijke verantwoordelijkheid
■ Geschiedenis van public relations
■ Het beroep van public relations.
○ Application and practice (52%): omvat artikelen die gerelateerd zijn aan de
praktijk/toepassing van public relations. 6 subcategories:
■ Management in public relations
■ Conducting public relations programs and campaigns
■ Applied research methods and issues
■ Organizational communication
■ Social issues and issue management
■ New communication technologies
, ○ Theory development (4.1%)
● She looked at PR reviews
○ The field is introspective > PR is reflective, certain insecurity (because its a
young field, starting to establishing itself)
○ Lots of different topics
● Search for a fitting & productive paradigm…
○ Links to other, related fields of communication
○ Main candidates;
■ Social responsibility and ethics
● De auteur is van mening dat dit veelbelovend is voor de
ontwikkeling van public relations-theorieën; de vragen wijken
af van management theorists.
● Maatschappelijke verantwoordelijkheid als uitgangspunt.
● Hoe verschillende elementen van een organisatie en haar
omgeving de prestaties van maatschappelijk verantwoorde
activiteiten kunnen verbeteren.
■ Social issues and issue management
● Het belang van contacten tussen PR-onderzoekers en de
bredere gemeenschap van onderzoekers op het gebied van
issuemanagement, politieke theorie en communicatietheorie.
■ Public relationships
● Why is social responsibility or management not a paradigm?
They are not unique enough, there is too much overlap in the
fields. That’s why you cannot make your own theories easily.
● What does a focus on public relationships entail?
○ Relationships between organizations and their publics as a unit of study.
○ Door de focus van het onderzoek te leggen op de relatie in plaats van op de
organisatie of op het publiek, kunnen we beter begrijpen wat er belangrijk is
aan deze relaties, zowel voor het publiek als voor de organisatie.
○ Omdat dit type focus op macroniveau vrij nieuw is, zou het moeten resulteren
in nieuwe methoden om het fenomeen te bestuderen.
,Some critical notes:
● Focus on one journal
● Degree of subjectivity
Conclusions/learnings:
● Status quo of the field
● Relationships as fruitful paradigm for the field.. open for academic debate but also for
this course
Corporate Communication defined as:
“A management function that offers a framework for the effective coordination of all internal
and external communication with the overall purpose of establishing and maintaining
favorable reputations with stakeholder groups upon which the organization is dependent.”
(Cornelissen, 2011)
○ Management function
○ Maximize reputation
○ Can also be about perceptions
Compare…
Strategic Communication:
“Strategic communication focuses on how the organization itself presents and promotes
itself through the intentional activities of its leaders, employees, and communication
practitioners.” (Hallahan et al., 2007, p. 7)
○ What the organization is doing
○ Reflects: one-way
Lee & Kee (2017): Testing an environmental framework for understanding public
relations practitioners’ orientation toward relationship management
Public Relations
“... management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships
between an organization and the public on whom its success of failure depends” (Broom &
Sha, 2012, p.2).
● Door interactieve verbanden te leggen tussen verschillende sociale entiteiten, stelt
public relations organisaties in staat hun intenties, standpunten en prestaties uit te
drukken en feedback te krijgen van hun publiek in een relationeel proces dat niet
, alleen bijdraagt aan het welzijn van de organisatie, maar ook aan het algemeen
belang.
Relationship
“The state which exists between an organization and its key publics (stakeholders), in which
the actions of either can impact the economic, social, cultural or political well being of the
other.” (Leidingham & Bruning, 1998, p. 160)
Organization-public relationships (OPRs)
“Transactions that involve the exchange of resources between organizations. [...] and lead to
mutual benefit, as well as mutual achievement”. (Broom, Casey, & Ritchey, 1997, p. 91)
● Transactions refer to any form of communication, interaction, or engagement.
● The resources can include information, goods, services, time, attention > like
information about a new product to the public.
Relationship management theory (Ledingham, 2003, 2010)
“Effectively managing organizational-public relationships around common interests and
shared goals, over time, results in mutual understanding and benefit for interacting
organizations and publics.”
● General theory
● “Een concept dat een vakgebied verenigt en een overkoepelend kader biedt voor het
onderzoeken van kwesties binnen dat vakgebied".
Public relations roles
● Expert prescriber: specialists in communication and PR.
○ Consultant, advisor.
● Communication technician: executing and managing communication tasks.
○ Writing press releases, managing social media accounts.
● Communication facilitator: intermediaries between their organizations and its
publics.
○ Help facilitate two-way communication, relationship-building.
● Problem-solving process facilitator: resolving broader organizational issues.
