Fully Functioning Society
The course that I thought was so riveting is now becoming less of such. This is probably because the questions I ask people just give blank stares as if I'm speaking Chinese, African what have you. I think it is more of a self-confidence thing. I have a high need for feedback and when people don't say anything I start thinking something is wrong with me. Silence makes me nervous for some reason.
If that last sentence was a lead to an article I would have gotten absolutely no coverage. So glad I can have a forum where my writing is not being judged. My question today is does PR add value to society? Should it seek to help make society fully functional? We can see now that the consequences of a corporate culture of greed and self interest is finally bearing bitter fruit for so many industries. So now the public is demanding that CSR be the very core of business. But beyond that should PR seek an orientation to make society fully functional?
This was the argument in class tonight. The article by Robert L. Heath bring to light this fully functioning society paradigm for public relations theory. My current advisor gave this article for me to read over a year ago. I got bits and pieces of it. I mean the article is loaded with ideas such as the practice moving away from corporate to having a community focus. Advocating that the community hold transcendent meaning for individuals who are linked to organization and these individuals want an organization that connects them to such. I like the idea of reflective management that will seek understanding from all stakeholders and reinforce dialogue. Although the theory was lofty, I agree that PR has the potential to be this way. Think about the many advocacy groups out there. Non-profits alike, whether or not they know they are engaging in pr activities they do it by connecting with the community, offering public service and soliciting support for a greater good for more than just their respective organizations. Finally something that helped me see PR in a way that did not emphasize management.
I really dig the theory. Research is characteristized by being decades ahead of the practice. This fully functioning society orientation may operate in a handful of practitioners--I take that back, I'll give them more credit than that. But what I mean to ask is how many practitioners operate from that perspective. Are there any out there that see PR as a way to serve the good of the macro environment? What are the constraints and what do organizations have to do to become capable of this?
I think it is a matter of organizational culture, meaning that until this emphasis on the good of society is truly built into the fabric of the organization we won't see it acted out. Sure organizations can say this and that on paper or on the web but what we see acted out speaks so much lounder than that. I truly believe that practitioners do want to look out for the good of the public. They ultimately serve as the critical mediator and link between the organization and the public so of course. I believe that it is going to take a new generation of practitioners that care about more than just the bottom line to push for this development in PR.
This is why I love PR, because of its ability to shake things up. It's ability to be employed to effect change. Its potential to contribute to a much larger picture. It's ability to give me a career in which the possibilities are endless and I'm not behind a computer all day. A career that allows me to interact with the public. How this fully functioning society theory is practiced I believe that the creativity and innovation of the practitioners can be trusted for this.
If that last sentence was a lead to an article I would have gotten absolutely no coverage. So glad I can have a forum where my writing is not being judged. My question today is does PR add value to society? Should it seek to help make society fully functional? We can see now that the consequences of a corporate culture of greed and self interest is finally bearing bitter fruit for so many industries. So now the public is demanding that CSR be the very core of business. But beyond that should PR seek an orientation to make society fully functional?
This was the argument in class tonight. The article by Robert L. Heath bring to light this fully functioning society paradigm for public relations theory. My current advisor gave this article for me to read over a year ago. I got bits and pieces of it. I mean the article is loaded with ideas such as the practice moving away from corporate to having a community focus. Advocating that the community hold transcendent meaning for individuals who are linked to organization and these individuals want an organization that connects them to such. I like the idea of reflective management that will seek understanding from all stakeholders and reinforce dialogue. Although the theory was lofty, I agree that PR has the potential to be this way. Think about the many advocacy groups out there. Non-profits alike, whether or not they know they are engaging in pr activities they do it by connecting with the community, offering public service and soliciting support for a greater good for more than just their respective organizations. Finally something that helped me see PR in a way that did not emphasize management.
I really dig the theory. Research is characteristized by being decades ahead of the practice. This fully functioning society orientation may operate in a handful of practitioners--I take that back, I'll give them more credit than that. But what I mean to ask is how many practitioners operate from that perspective. Are there any out there that see PR as a way to serve the good of the macro environment? What are the constraints and what do organizations have to do to become capable of this?
I think it is a matter of organizational culture, meaning that until this emphasis on the good of society is truly built into the fabric of the organization we won't see it acted out. Sure organizations can say this and that on paper or on the web but what we see acted out speaks so much lounder than that. I truly believe that practitioners do want to look out for the good of the public. They ultimately serve as the critical mediator and link between the organization and the public so of course. I believe that it is going to take a new generation of practitioners that care about more than just the bottom line to push for this development in PR.
This is why I love PR, because of its ability to shake things up. It's ability to be employed to effect change. Its potential to contribute to a much larger picture. It's ability to give me a career in which the possibilities are endless and I'm not behind a computer all day. A career that allows me to interact with the public. How this fully functioning society theory is practiced I believe that the creativity and innovation of the practitioners can be trusted for this.
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