Does Organizational Communication Research Matter?
Bruce Berger, Ph.D., University of Alabama

IPR's Commission on Organizational Communication launched its Research Center in autumn 2012. With more than 150 abstracts, the center expands our knowledge about employee communication, highlights best practices and provides strategic insights on employee engagement. But does this terrific resource really matter?

Plenty of evidence suggests the needle hasn't moved much this Millennium. By any measure, internal communication issues and employee needs continue to fester. At the same time, a new generation of digitally-savvy workers seek more involvement in decision making, faster and more personal communication, greater transparency and social responsibility. Read more.

Ninety percent of all governments have an official Facebook presence with 87 heads of state, 82 heads of government and 51 foreign ministers maintaining personal pages, according to a new study by Burson-Marsteller. Based on their research, Facebook is the main channel of community involvement with world leaders.

Engaging Facebook posts are more powerful than traditional press release and often make headlines in mainstream media. This social media tool provides government officials with a way to reach out to their citizens to have conversations utilizing more than the 140-character limit on Twitter. With social media, world leaders reach an audience of millions worldwide, regardless of their popularity. Read more.

IPR conducted the first global Infographic Design Competition for students, focusing on PR research. Four winning designs were chosen that best communicated insights from IPR's Signature Studies. The two grand-prize winners were Danielle Riley, University of Florida, with "The Social CEO: CEO Communication Styles," and a team from Brigham Young University including McKann Thomas, Brady Quinn, McKenzie Draper and Emily Sopp with "Diversity in the Business World."

Aisha Qasem from Zayed University in Dubai and a team from Brigham Young University which included Megan Allen, Brooke Tait and Preston Williamson were the runner-up entries. The judges evaluated each infographic design based on content, creativity and visual appeal. The Second Annual Infographic Design Competition will begin in October 2016. Read more.
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