Public relations as a strategic management function in selected organizations in Accra, Ghana

It is often advocated that, in order to realize its full potential, public relations should be an integral part of strategic management decision-making in organizations. Some experts have backed this advocacy with the argument that public relations (PR) professionals' skills of interpretation and counseling place them in a position to make a significant contribution to strategy in organizations. The goal of this research was to investigate whether PR practitioners play a strategic management role in selected organizations and to find out how practitioners contribute to organizational objectives, goals, strategies and policies. It also investigated the challenges militating against the effective practice of PR as a management function in selected organizations as well as the perceptions top managers have about the role PR plays in the overall success of organizations. The study used the qualitative descriptive approach. In all, eight PR practitioners and three top-level managers from insurance, manufacturing, construction, and a public institution were interviewed. Data was later transcribed and thematically analyzed. The results showed that PR was instituted as a topmanagement function in one organization but as a middle-level management function in the three other organizations. However, all PR practitioners participated in organizational decision-making. The study also found that the barriers that prevented the effective institution of PR as a stand-alone department and as a top-management function in the organizations studied were: Misconceptions about PR, the size of the organization, the mission of the organization as a barrier and the personal capabilities of the PR practitioner. Top managers interviewed exhibited an understanding of the PR function and considered it as key to organizational success. Practitioners could thus ride on this to gain the attention and the positions they want in their organizations. The study recommends that there be constant evaluation of PR activities to provide evidence for the value PR brings to organizations.