Institutionalizing Public Relations: An International Multiple-Case Study

Abstract

In a reflection on the state of public relations, James Grunig said that “a major task remains … in institutionalizing strategic public relations as actual practice in most organizations” (2006, p. 171). His assumption was that organizational public relations too often depend not on established or enduring standards of effectiveness, but on the presumptions of public relations executives and the senior managers who are in charge at any given time. Frequently, when one managerial regime leaves the entity and is replaced by another, within a short period of time the public relations program looks entirely different than before the change. Grunig cited research by Yi, which indicated that any institutionalization of public relations that may currently exist is that of buffering organizations against outside pressures, rather than the more essential bridging or linkage activities that, in the long run, make organizations more successful. This article, then, represents an exploratory qualitative examination of 6 organizations where there was a turnover of senior public relations executives. The study determines whether the public relations programs changed after the turnover—and, if so, why the changes occurred. The article also assesses whether these cases provide insight for the field as a whole toward making strategic public relations more enduring in organizations.