Understanding and addressing the gaps: Generational perspectives on public relations leadership development in the United States

Ewing, Michele E.; Remund, David L.

doi:10.1177/2046147x17721944

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 33 publications

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“…Both communication practitioners and the public perceptions align mostly closely, and with strong focus on ethic. This is congruent with the widely accepted symmetrical and dialogic prescriptive models of public relations and with previous research (Ewing and Remund, 2017). However, these results are not consistent with those of the Cross Cultural Study of Leadership conducted in 2012 in Spain (Navarro and Moreno, 2014), where PR practitioners shared a more future-oriented view of leadership, prioritizing strategic decision making, vision, and communication knowledge.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

How the public and public relations professionals interpret leadership in Spain

Moreno¹,

Navarro

Alkazemi

2018

CCIJ

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare the perspectives of public relations professionals against those of the general public in Spain with respect to which communications activities and organizational attributes are relevant to the leadership images of organizations, and what are the characteristics of effective leaders. Design/methodology/approach This study combines data from the European Communication Monitor (ECM) with the results of a representative online survey carried out by the global market research company IPSOS. Findings Results show that the general public sees TV interviews as well as TV advertising as communication tools with the biggest potential to shape the leadership image of organizations. When it comes to the attributes of effective leaders, communication professionals overestimate the role of an organization’s vision, while the population much more stresses basic attributes like leading by example and admitting mistakes. PR practitioners underestimate customer service and environmental responsibility and tend to favor more abstract attributes like innovation and CSR. Research limitations/implications This paper touches only four sections of the ECM 2014/2015. Participant fatigue may have negatively impacted the quality of the data. A large sample of professionals was approached, but a much small number initiated and completed the online survey. The size of the sample of communication professionals makes it difficult to generalize the results. In addition, future research should extend the study to different groups of stakeholders, such as employees, investors, and suppliers. Practical implications While organizations face intensive pressure from evaluation by their stakeholders, discrepancies between the expectations of the general public in regard to leadership negatively affects the communicator’s work to position organizations in society, as well as CEOs and top executives as leaders. On this regards, getting closer to what the population expects will help to understand and improve leadership perceptions. Originality/value Very little work has been done in Spain regarding to leadership in public relations or public relations professional’s perceptions about leadership. Most research published to date has focused on the leader’s position in the company, participation in management levels, types of responsibilities assumed and their relative influence and leadership style. Even fewer public relations studies have tried to identify the communication activities that are relevant to the leadership image of organizations and compare the perspectives of public relations professionals on leadership against those of the general public. This dearth of knowledge about stakeholder expectations negatively affects the communicator’s work to position organizations and executive leaders in society.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

How the public and public relations professionals interpret leadership in Spain

Moreno¹,

Navarro

Alkazemi

2018

CCIJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Broadening the umbrella of women’s leadership and public relations: an ethnographic case study of a women’s political leadership development program

Madden

Levenshus

2021

Journal of Public Relations Research

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A political economy of communication analysis of PR News: Intern status, skills, and conflict within the public relations industry

Giomboni

2024

Public Relations Inquiry

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A textual analysis of PR News was conducted to understand the evolution of internship programs and explore how the industry articulates, rationalizes, and positions these workers as valuable sources of labor. This study featured articles about interns who were primarily participating in internships at colleges and universities in a U.S. context to consider the range of positions and professional development within the PR industry. A political economy of communication framework provides insights into potential exploitative working conditions and the dynamic power relationships between prospective workers and the organization. This relationship is constructed through trade publication texts that illustrate best practices for internship programs. In turn, interns may grant consent to potentially exploitative precarious work arrangements based on the specific conditions and perceived benefits at the worksite. This study argues that the PR industry began recruiting paid talent and developing skillsets until the economic recession led to a cost-benefit analysis of full-time entry-level workers. In addition, PR News discourses have the potential to create interoffice conflict when emerging workers adopt neoliberal motives to secure full-time employment but are confronted with internship programs rooted in administrative tasks. By understanding the texts that construct an emerging workforce, the PR industry can synergize development training programs, rather than contribute narratives that devalue both financially and professionally intern work.

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Understanding and addressing the gaps: Generational perspectives on public relations leadership development in the United States

Cited by 3 publications

References 33 publications

How the public and public relations professionals interpret leadership in Spain

How the public and public relations professionals interpret leadership in Spain

Broadening the umbrella of women’s leadership and public relations: an ethnographic case study of a women’s political leadership development program

A political economy of communication analysis of PR News: Intern status, skills, and conflict within the public relations industry

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