Blackwell Reference Online

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Systems theory reveals that organizations are integrated into their social environment by means of a network of relationships (→  Systems Theory ). In part, this rationale of organizational success motivated Harlow, who used the term → “ Public Relations ” (PR) to describe the field of “all types of relations an organization has with its publics” (1957, xi; →  Organization–Public Relationships ). Systems theory and relationship analysis help explain why PR can be reciprocally activated: an organization and its reference groups observe, analyze, and rate each other regularly, particularly when it seems to be relevant because of expected risks and chances. On the organizational side, it is the task of PR activities to arrange these processes as communication management and to intervene communicatively if it seems to be necessary or expedient. How each organization understands and appreciates its reference groups’ opinions, acceptance, and/or behavior will affect how the organization responds to these groups. For effective PR interventions to be made, the relevant reference groups must be identified and their positions on various issues evaluated, along with their attitudes toward the organization. This, in turn, requires appropriate methods. The concept of public relations field dynamics – presented to a professional audience for the first time in 1992 – is one such method. It can ... log in or subscribe to read full text