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Are servant leadership and ethics of care being practiced by public relations leaders? This study involved in-depth interviews with 32 public relations leaders working in a variety of organizational settings in the United States and provided insights from men and women, including people of color. We found evidence of an “other oriented approach” to leadership that involved prioritizing the needs and concerns of employees and a genuine concern for the wellbeing of others. The findings are consistent with characteristics associated with both servant leadership and ethics of care. The public relations leaders were able to provide specific examples of how these perspectives impacted their decision making and specific ways they demonstrate that they care about their employees. The leaders engaged in active listening, which allowed them to identify employee needs. They then had to access whether or not they could meet those needs, and at times that involved assisting employees in leaving the organization. Implications for theory and practice are included.

PurposeThe rise of a professional career presents women in today's public relations profession an intense challenge in balancing professional and family responsibilities. Therefore, this study is motivated to investigate female public relations professionals' perceptions of work–family conflict in their daily life. Specifically, the authors focused the research on women working in the professions of communication and public relations in the United States.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was designed and conducted in the United States. The final sample includes 512 women working full-time in public relations and communication. In addition, the authors pre-specified several demographic quotas in sampling design in order to recruit a diverse group of female professionals nationwide.FindingsThe findings of this research study confirmed that female professionals have to constantly make changes to their plans for family activities when there is a conflict due to work-related duties. Such impact is particularly intense for professionals in the age bracket of 31–40. They have to use a wide variety of coping strategies to manage the work–family conflict. Findings in the present research study confirmed the critical role of mentoring in providing extra support and to help junior female professionals find coping solutions. Effective mentor–mentee networks can be established and used as valuable resources to support women in managing work–family conflict.Originality/valueBy investigating current female professionals' perceptions on work–life conflict and their adoption of relevant coping strategies in the workplace, this research provides solid evidence that organizations should dedicate efforts in providing strong support in programs and policies and makes the options available to female professionals at all levels. The present research highlights the importance of building mentor–mentee relationships as an effective supportive approach when managing work–family conflict.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to identify new challenges to organizational listening posed by a global pandemic and how organizations are overcoming those barriers.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers conducted 30 in-depth interviews with US communication management professionals.FindingsCommunication management professionals value listening, but do not always make it the priority that it merits. They listed lack of desire of senior management, time, and trust of employees as barriers to effective organizational listening. The global COVID pandemic has made it more challenging to connect to employees working remotely and to observe nonverbal cues that are essential in communication. Organizations are adapting by using more frequent pulse surveys, video conferencing technology and mobile applications. Most importantly, this pandemic has enhanced moral sensitivity and empathy leading organizations to make decisions based on ethical considerations.Research limitations/implicationsThe researchers examined organizational listening applying employee-organization relationships (EOR) theory and found that trust is essential. Trust can be enhanced through building relationships with employees, ethical listening and closing the feedback loop by communicating how employers are using the feedback received by employees to make a positive change.Practical implicationsCommunication managers need to place a higher priority on listening to employees. Their listening efforts need to be authentic, morally autonomous or open-minded, and empathetic to respect the genuine concerns of employees and how organizational decisions will affect them. Listening is essential to serving as an ethical and effective strategic counselor.Originality/valueThe study examines organizational listening in the context of a global pandemic.

The 2017 Commission on Public Relations Education (CPRE) report found new professionals are not meeting employers’ expectations regarding ethics knowledge, skills and abilities. This mixed-method s...

Guided by theories of moral psychology and social identity, one hundred and fifty-three public relations practitioners working in the United States participated in an online experiment that tested ...

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine why and how an open and participative communication climate matters for employee organizational identification and their change-specific responses, specifically employees’ attitudinal and behavioral reactions.Design/methodology/approachTo test the hypothesized model, the authors conducted an online survey using a stratified and quota random sample of 1,034 US employees working in diverse industry sectors in June of 2018, with the assistance of a premier global provider of survey services, Survey Sampling International. To test the hypothesized model, structural equation modeling analysis was employed using AMOS 24.0 software.FindingsAn open and participative communication climate directly contributes to employee affective commitment to change and behavioral support. Communication climate featured by openness and participation boosts employee identification with the organization, which leads to positive employee reaction to change. When employees identify with the organization, they tend to believe in the inherent value of the change and are more likely to support the change initiative in action through cooperation and championship.Originality/valueTheoretically, the study contributes to the change management and communication literature by focusing on the role of communication climate in inducing employee reaction to organizational change. Practically, the study offers insights for change managers, internal communication professionals and organizational leaders. Organizational leaders need to be open, create a trusting atmosphere and actively involve employees in the decision-making process. Organizational leaders and communicators should also strive to boost employee identification with the organization, especially during change.

This study examined how the organizations’ use of mediated and interpersonal channels during change affects employees’ change-related outcomes. Specifically, the study proposed and tested a conceptual model that links organizations’ frequency of use of communication channels to perceived organizational communication transparency during change, employees’ feeling of uncertainty toward change, and employee affective commitment to change. Through an online survey of 1,034 employees who had experienced an organizational planned change in the United States, results showed that organizations’ frequent use of mass-mediated channels and interpersonal channels both positively influenced employees’ perception of communication transparency during change, with interpersonal channels showing stronger impact than mediated channels. Perceived change communication transparency negatively influenced employee uncertainty about change and positively influenced employee affective commitment to change. Perceived communication transparency during change mediated the effects of the organizations’ use of communication channels on employees’ uncertainty about change and affective commitment to change.

Rapid changes in technology and an increased emphasis on globalization are placing new demands on advertising and public relations (PR) educators and their students. Many schools have already devel...

Advertising and public relations agencies have never been more in direct competition, as public relations agencies begin offering media strategies and advertising agencies begin assuming roles in o...

Through a national online survey with 300 U.S. employees, this study revealed that nonmanagers and women are not satisfied with their organization’s listening efforts. Using the lens of employee-organization relationship theory, problematic issues were identified related to transparency, communication climate, and employee silence. Some of the barriers to effective listening were limited ability to share insights from listening with supervisors and other employees, poor or absent training for collecting and analyzing intelligence that can be gained from listening, and employees who were unwilling to speak up due to perceptions that management was not sincerely interested in what they have to say. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Despite the existence of the “great firewall,” advertising and public relations practitioners in China, much like in the United States, are embracing and enacting social media and digital strategie...

Senior public relations executives prefer rational approaches such as research, case studies, and legitimacy appeals when raising ethical concerns to more senior leaders. However, women were more l...

Some companies and organizations are pursuing joint planning and coordination between internal and external communicators; however, functional silos still appear to be a barrier and concern. Through in-depth interviews with 28 communication executives working in the United States, this study provides evidence that dual oversight of external and internal communication by a senior executive from marketing or corporate communication appears to be a good way to reduce functional silos, but the arrangement can weaken the power and influence of internal communicators. Recommendations and implications for practice are provided.

Millennial public relations practitioners do not feel prepared to offer ethics counsel and do not expect to face ethical dilemmas at work. Through survey research with more than 200 young professionals, statistically significant differences were found regarding perceptions of readiness to offer ethics counsel based on the availability of a mentor, ethics training in college, and ethics training at work. Through the lens of social identity theory, significant differences were found based on familiarity and likelihood to use ethics resources provided by professional associations. Finally, confidence in discussing ethical concerns with their mentor or direct supervisor did impact their likelihood to offer ethics counsel.

Research has found that ethics are most likely to be integrated throughout the curriculum rather than taught as a stand-alone course in public relations. However, this study identified substantial differences in the types of content taught in the two formats on the basis of survey research with 96 educators. Some of the topics that are less likely to be taught outside of an ethics course included other codes of ethics beyond those of the Public Relations Society of America, classical theories by philosophers, decision-making models, the effect of organizational culture and values, and global perspectives on ethics. In addition, few educators reported that they discuss raising ethical concerns in their courses.

Ethics in public relations tend to have a bit of a mystique about them. Public relations’ role involves more proactive efforts such as promoting the organization’s core values and sharing examples of employees engaging in ethical behavior. One of the primary resources guiding public relations practices is the Public Relations Society of America’s code of ethics, which was revised in 2000. As public relations executives gain more experience they will often reference those experiences when providing ethics counsel or engage in internal politics by recruiting allies and forming coalitions with other influential senior executives. Ethics in public relations involves environmental scanning and boundary spanning responsibilities. Some of the competencies required in order to provide ethics counsel include familiarity with industry codes of ethics, business and industry literacy, relationship building, and negotiation skills. Public relations professionals interested in careers in management may want to pursue an MBA or other master’s degrees in order to address any gaps in their education.

Advertising and public relations executives claim the rules for ethical practices are changing. On the basis of 29 in-depth interviews with advertising and public relations executives, and an analysis guided by identity theories and moral justifications, new insights address the most pressing issues faced today, greater opportunities to behave unethically, and the lack of ethics training received. Some of the executives perceive a personal responsibility to be ethical, whereas others adopted a self-interested attitude by suggesting it’s the publishers’ or consumers’ responsibility to make ethical decisions. Emerging marketing practices have increased the need for more ethics training and more sophisticated perspectives on professionalism and virtuous behavior that are also flexible enough to apply to envelope-pushing strategies.

Native advertising’s effectiveness lies in its ability to look like content produced by journalists. The potential for deceiving readers and proliferation of native advertising threaten journalism’s credibility along with its core boundary: the separation between editorial and advertising. For the press to function in a normative manner, as a watchdog, contributing to the public’s ability to self-govern, it simply cannot participate in deception. Therefore, 56 qualitative interviews were conducted with journalists, advertising, and public relations executives to examine the extent to which native advertising impedes on the social responsibility of the press. Perspectives revealed that all three professions agreed native advertising raises ethical concerns. Native advertising potentially deceives audiences who are unaware that native advertising is paid, persuasive content versus editorial, thus contributing to the diminishing credibility of journalism. Furthermore, if native advertising is done well, it is undetectable from traditional editorial content. Based on these findings, authors discuss how native advertising threatens several tenets of social responsibility theory.

Just as the advertising and public relations industries are evolving due to the development of new technology and communication tools, so are the demands of education. Through in-depth interviews with 29 executives working in both advertising and public relations agencies in the U.S., this study identifies the core skills and competencies needed to have successful careers in this new media landscape. While writing and presentation skills remain foundational, employers also are seeking math and data analysis skills associated with new jobs in social media listening and analytics. Meanwhile, some advertising executives lack the skills in issues and crisis management associated with online community management. Professionals in both disciplines also bemoan the lack of business literacy among communication majors and support situated learning opportunities to address these deficiencies.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine what formal executive-level committees senior corporate communications executives are members of and what value they contribute. Design/methodology/approach – The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 30 senior executives at four US companies who discussed corporate communications’ involvement in eight strategic issues. Findings – The focus on the C-Suite is too narrow as strategic issues arise at the division level and in executive-level committees. Corporate communications is often in competition with marketing for influence and coveted seats in the board rooms. Corporate communications is most likely to be included in decision making when issues are perceived as falling within their domain, when the function has support from the CEO, when working in industries with frequent crises or those focussing on reputation management, and in companies that utilize integrated decision teams. Practical implications – Corporate communicators need to enhance their research skills and educate other colleagues about their domain beyond media relations. Originality/value – Study includes the perspectives of executives outside of corporate communications such as marketing, sales, human resources, investor relations, finance, and operations as well as division presidents.

This study examines the strategic roles associated with social media management through the lens of role theory. By analyzing the responses from participants in two focus groups and a survey of public relations and human resources practitioners, we identified nine strategic roles and the associated responsibilities including policy maker, internal collaborator, technology tester, communications organizer, issues manager, relationship analyzer, master of metrics, policing, and employee recruiter. Public relations lead most of these activities, but human resources are a close collaborator. Study findings also provide specific insights into online reputation management processes, exact content of social media policies, and the most common metrics used for social media channels.

Significant research has focused on influencing senior leadership, and this study offers new insights into building internal relationships and informal coalitions to provide strategic counsel. These strategies involve internal communications, a neglected area of research and practice. The findings are based on in-depth interviews with 30 executives representing multiple departments in four U.S. companies. A new role justifying public relations’ membership in executive decision teams is internal boundary spanning or gathering intelligence internally across business units, and requires public relations to have a seat at multiple decision tables.

Through two online surveys, this study found support for seven distinct social media roles assumed by public relations practitioners. Principle components analysis using varimax rotation resulted in the following roles: social media technician, social listening and analytics, online media relations, policy maker, employee recruiter, internal social media manager, and policing. The study provided evidence of gender differences in roles. Although there were no gender differences in enactment of social media management roles, women enacted the social media technician role more often than men. The traditional manager role in public relations correlated with five of the social media roles. In contrast, the traditional communication technician role was found to correlate with three of the social media roles: social media technician, policing and policy maker. The study found evidence that social media are offering opportunities for more power and influence for public relations practitioners at all levels in the organization.

Scholars have long asserted that public relations (PR) professionals should play the role of organizational conscience, but little research has focused on why and how they play this role effectively. We found that PR professionals who played the role of organizational conscience had broadened conceptions of their roles and responsibilities, including a fervent duty to the public interest. This often put them in the position of providing criticism to powerful organizational players. Rather than raising their ethical concerns as persuasive orators, they used subtle, resourceful, and experiential approaches to persuasion. Playing the role of organizational conscience typically necessitated gaining access to informal coalitions since access to dominant power coalitions often was limited or late. Organizations with participative cultures supported the role of organizational conscience.

Internal communication is rising in prominence and resources due to generational shifts as Baby Boomers retire and Millennials enter the workforce. Through 32 interviews with executives in marketing, public relations and human resources, this study identifies some of the communication challenges and opportunities presented for internal communicators. These issues are explored based on theories of organization power and encroachment, stakeholder theory and organizational identity. Some of the major trends include the emergence of internal social media channels and efforts to drive and measure employee engagement. The findings suggest that public relations tends to lead internal communications initiatives in close collaboration with human resources and executive leadership. This study also identifies differing organizational structural relationships for internal communication and their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, the findings provide support that internal communication is becoming a strategic function and is shifting from one-way to three-way communication.