Theory-Based Practice

Theory-based public relations practice is guided by theoretic generalizations that shed light on the situation at hand; it is thought to be more effective than public relations conducted by intuition or habit, as in the “we do it this way because we have always done it this way” approach. Theory is defined as symbolic generalizations culled from empirical evidence that is interpreted and used to describe, explain, understand, predict, and control phenomena under study or consideration. Theory lends a perspective, or way of looking at some matter, that increases understanding so that professionals know the best course of action to address a situation. Theories stimulate a proliferation of additional theories. Members of a community—such as the public relations profession—formulate and employ different, but preferably interrelated theories. No one theory is the unique province of a particular community, just as there is no one shared worldview from which theory derives. Theories are seldom static; on the contrary, they tend to be dynamic, ever-changing because the subject of their consideration is never fully understood.

In traditional science, predictions in the form of hypotheses are derived from theory that can be tested. Theory is flexible, and different methodologies and units of analysis are used to test it. Such testing of hypotheses depends on identification of relevant variables and development of models useful to explain relationships between or among these variables. A common result of testing a theory is a revised or new theory that determines refined or new applications for practice. Generalizations—or theories—useful to public relations are influenced by theorizing in many fields, most often the social sciences, such as psychology, sociology, and communication, including rhetoric and persuasion.

Some critics of public relations question whether the field is worthy of scholarship and theory-building efforts, and other critics charge that public relations merely applies theories developed in and by other disciplines. Some supporters of public relations counter that productive theory development is essential for public relations research—or, for that matter, any academic discipline—in order to be called a science.

A useful theory goes beyond description to explain the interrelationships of variables and to predict likely effects and outcomes. In general, theories are broader conceptualizations than models, which delineate or map connections between variables in a theory. For example, the “RACE” acronym—research, action-planning, communication, evaluation—popularly thought to summarize the process of public relations practice, is considered by scholars to be a model rather than a theory. There are also types of theories—“normative” theory is often described as the ideal aspired to in practice, while “positive” theory is prescribed for practical application, and “grounded” theory explains common, everyday occurrences.

An example of a normative theory of public relations is excellence theory, which has been prominent in academic research since its introduction by James E. Grunig and Todd Hunt in Managing Public Relations in 1984. Their theory suggests four types or models that describe public relations—press agentry/publicity, public information, one-way asymmetric/persuasion, and two-way symmetric—and those who practice the two-way symmetric model for their organizations are more likely to practice [Page 921]“excellent” public relations. It has proven to be very heuristic, in that it spawned considerable additional research.

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