by Tonjanita Johnson

Created on: August 26, 2008

If you asked the average person what public relations is all about, their response would probably include something about developing press releases, working with the media, and helping companies shape and maintain their image. In today's professional world, however, public relations (or PR as it is commonly referred) involves much more than that. It is a management function that is not only an art but also a science.

Scott Cutlip, Allen Center and Glen Broom (2000), the noted authors of "Effective Public Relations", which is often referred to as the "bible" of the field, suggest that the evolution of the public relations function within organizations and society is reflected in the changing views and definitions of PR. As such, Cutlip and his colleagues aptly define PR as "the management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends." In the same context, PR can be more easily described as "a management function that utilizes communication strategically" (Ledingham and Bruning, 1998) to develop beneficial relationships between organizations and their stakeholders.

Although there are numerous communication techniques and strategies that are used as part of a PR professional's public relations program, the foundation of most successful PR efforts today is rooted in building and maintaining relationships. Effective public relations involves a keen understanding and commitment to the interests and needs of an organization's internal and external publics. Cutlip, Center & Broom (2000) note that the changing view of public relations as a management function, which emphasizes building and maintaining relationships, reflects the evolution and maturation of PR in organizations and society.

Based on the current literature, the days of the one-way concept of public relations, which relied heavily on propaganda and persuasive communication, are nearly gone. Most contemporary models promote PR as a two-way concept which emphasizes communication exchange, reciprocity, and mutual exchange (Cutlip et. al., 2000). Because of this shift, it is believed that the concept is expanding to include organizational adjustment, the addition of counseling management and the implementation of corrective action in the role of public relations.

For many decades, practitioners of public relations have struggled to legitimize the role and importance of PR as it relates to organizational success. As scholars and practitioners find better ways to measure the value of PR to the organizational bottom line and are better able to operationalize it as a concept within organizations, its relevance and importance as a management function will significantly increase.

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