Relevancy, Relationships and Numbers
By Jim Simon, Consultant

Relevancy is the eternal challenge for the public relations function, and the intellectual discussion always will be split between those who favor more quantitative measures and those who favor more subjective, qualitative-based metrics. Is it numbers or is it relationships that matter most?

The answer is both. To prove PR's value every day we need robust tools that can surface emerging stakeholders that are engaged in timely fashion by PR practitioners who know how to apply the "art" to the data they receive. That's all good in theory, but it often breaks down for reasons including the following:  

• PR practitioners don't invest enough in research, often because they don't have the budget or seat at the table to make the case for investment.
• The tools produce obsolete or incomplete data.
• PR practitioners don't have the training or time to fully leverage research.
• Vital information is hoarded by those for whom personal power is measured by knowledge only they can impart.

How do we develop and leverage the best research? It must start with investing in research, both in terms of products and the talent needed to maximize their value. In military terms, that means we must be first to the front, and not in the reinforcement line that follows.

Read more...

Letting Employees Let Go
By Frank Ovaitt, Institute for Public Relations

IPR Trustee Keith Burton brought to my attention research reported in The New York Times and characterized by New York University Professor Dalton Conley as showing that "giving workers time to chill helps ultimate long-term productivity."

Harvard Professor Leslie A. Perlow, author of "Sleeping With Your Smartphone" (Harvard Business Review Press, 2012), found that, even on vacation, only two percent of them turn off their networked devices.  Employees who take an organized, mutually supportive approach to disconnecting are more satisfied with work and seek other ways to improve it.

It's too early to predict a trend. But Burton is not just saying that here is justification for letting go in our own business lives. More importantly, Keith asks:  "What is the role of the employee communication strategist in deciding how organizations can better moderate the reach of technology in communication and employee engagement?"

Read more...