| Public relations is the art and social science of | | | | with the increasing usage of Digital PR, the scene is |
| analysing trends, predicting their consequences, | | | | changing, and changing for the professions good. |
| counselling organisation leaders, and implementing | | | | Like all professions and industries, the management of |
| planned programs of action which will serve both the | | | | PR firms face challenges of professionals' growth, |
| organisation and the public interest. | | | | people bonding and achievement of organisational |
| Mexican statement | | | | goals. Some lessons that the PR managers and |
| The Manager in the PR firm has to play two roles: first, | | | | managements can learn from the guru of |
| as a manager in the commonly understood | | | | management- Peter Drucker. |
| management terms and secondly, as the public | | | | The role of a Manager |
| relations manager as described in the PR literature. | | | | According to Peter Drucker, it is the responsibility for |
| Role of a PR manager | | | | contributing to the results of the enterprise, not |
| In the famous HBR article 'Myth of the Well-Educated | | | | "responsibility for the work of others' that makes a |
| Manager', finding opportunities and problems is | | | | manager. A manager's job should always be based on |
| described as more important than problem solving | | | | a task necessary to attain the company's objectives. |
| capabilities of a manager. The author was referring to | | | | Drucker lists six common mistakes that impair the |
| Manager in a general sense, but it is especially true for | | | | effectiveness of the manager: |
| the PR professional. Moving a step from being a | | | | The too small job - the most common mistake is |
| 'communication function', PR as a management | | | | to design the job so small that a good manager cannot |
| function needs to be involved in policy decisions; striving | | | | grow. All managerial jobs should be designed to |
| for harmony between the best interests of the | | | | provide satisfaction through performance. The job |
| organization and its publics. | | | | itself should challenge and reward |
| The PR manager has a pivotal role 'to interpret the | | | | The non-job - worse even than the job that is too |
| public opinion climate to management', suggested Scott | | | | small is the job that is not really a job, the job of the |
| Philip, a PR thinker. In his book 'Effective Public | | | | typical 'assistant to'. The typical assistant does not |
| Relations' (co-authored with Allen and Broom), the | | | | have a job that can make a contribution. He is a |
| author suggests that the PR manager's role calls for | | | | 'helper' who does whatever the boss thinks needs to |
| research skills, an aptitude for strategic thinking, and a | | | | be done or whatever the assistant can sell to the |
| tendency to think in terms of the outcomes or impact | | | | boss |
| of public relations activities. Practitioners in the PR | | | | Failing to balance 'managing' and 'working' - the |
| manager role do not limit their tactics to | | | | way to design a managerial job is to combine |
| communications. They use environmental scanning and | | | | 'managing' with 'working', that is, responsibility of a |
| organizational intelligence, negotiation and coalition | | | | function or job of one's own. As a rule, the manager |
| building, issues management, program evaluation and | | | | should be both a manager and an individual career |
| management counseling as public relations tools. | | | | professional. A manager should be a 'working boss' |
| Not just a communicator, the PR professional is | | | | rather than a 'coordinator' |
| expected to anticipate problems, plan to prevent | | | | Poor job design - it is a mistake to design a job so |
| problems, and manage problems and crisis when they | | | | that it requires continuous meetings, continuous |
| arise. But the growth of PR management cadre | | | | cooperation and coordination. As far as possible, a |
| remains stagnant due to the 'gratification' that many | | | | manager's job should be designed so that it can be |
| professionals enjoy in their roles as 'technicians', and | | | | done by one person working alone and with the |
| are happy being the same over their career in the | | | | people in the unit that he or she manages |
| industry. A PR technician is primarily concerned with | | | | Titles as rewards - titles should never be used as |
| writing, producing and disseminating communications; | | | | rewards, let alone to cover up lack of function |
| they see themselves as 'wordsmith'. Till the time media | | | | The widow-maker job - in many companies there |
| coverage is counted as the source of measuring | | | | are jobs that manage to defeat one good manager |
| performance, technicians will lead the profession. | | | | after another - without any clear reason why. If a job |
| Although many PR professionals and authors have | | | | has defeated, in a row, two individuals who in their |
| been writing on the end of 'the old flying by the seat of | | | | previous assignments had done well, it should be |
| the pants approach to PR', the nature of the | | | | restructured. |
| profession gives more prominence to the technician | | | | So as technology changes the external environment, |
| rather than the manager. This presents a challenge for | | | | the PR profession needs to look at addressing its |
| managing talent in the PR industry: the designated | | | | internal complications to gain its rightful position in the |
| manager's too are actually accomplishing the | | | | professional sphere. |
| technician's job (save for a few large PR firms). But | | | | |