What do we mean by "institutionalization of PR"?

[Euprera]

What do we mean by "institutionalization of PR"?

Generally speaking, the institutionalization of PR means its growing relevance within organizations and its influence on their strategic decision processes. The entry of the director of PR into the Board of most companies is a tangible indicator of the institutionalization process.
The literature on institutionalization thinks of PR as either a buffering activity – used by organizations to protect themselves from change; or a bridging activity – used by organizations to evolve through building relations with stakeholders.
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[Richard Bailey]

I've no doubt this is an important issue - but I suggest it needs another descriptor.

When people are described as having become 'institutionalised', it means they conform to the norms of a large institution (think care home for the elderly, or psychiatric hospital). In no circumstances can 'institutionalisation' be considered a good thing. I much prefer the concept of boundary-spanning to that of institutionalisation...

[emanuele invernizzi]

Richard, I get your point and I agree that the descriptor of institutionalization you propose (actually Erving Goffman did) is another perfectly valid option. Another, not the only one and not necesarily the one that fits in our Congress.

Actually the descriptor I used, following Jim Grunig, is the one I described in a few words in my previous post. That is the one our Euprera fellows agreed upon when Toni Muzi Falconi and I decided to submit “Institutionalizing of PR and Corporate communication” as the title of the Milano Euprera Congress.

The title has been decided: we can now do some boundary-spanning on the concept of institutionalization we choose, but we cannot use another totally different one.

Are you, and is there anybody else, willing to help to enrich it?
Emanuele

[Richard Bailey]

Thank you for replying (good Ning-based site, by the way).

My point is mainly frivolous (ie linguistic) but partly serious. Here's a debate that you'll no doubt be having at the EUPRERA Congress. Would a more 'institutionalized' PR function have performed a more useful function of warning and advising financial institutions over the last few years? I suspect not - because the process of institutionalization would have removed detachment from the PR function.

So I'm (half frivolously, again) proposing an anti-institutional agenda for public relations - or rather, a perspective that can take the view of the institution, but can also champion stakeholder perspectives and even the interests of society at large. This requires detachment.

[toni muzi falconi]

Richard, in my view, to propose an anti.institutional agenda you need to be aware of the institutionalization process otherwise you are left in the dark.

Once you are full aware of the process and have identified its weaker points -amongst which prominent is the one you correctly underline in the rest of your comment- then you can proceed as a scholar, a practitioner, a student or as a professional community to see how we avoid throwing away the baby with the filthy water.

This is, for me at least, the objective of the Milano congress and I am very sorry to learn that you will not be with us. take care, toni muzi falconi