Excellence theory of PR

The first general theory of PR is a result of a project named the Excellence Study, also referred
to as the Excellence Theory, conducted by James Grunig. In the Excellence Study the researchers
attempted to answer three critical questions, namely “how, why and to what extent does
communication affect the achievement of organizational objectives”. These questions not only
are of great importance in terms of theoretical interest but also for the practice of PR. The study
was conducted in two stages, namely a literature or theoretical stage and an empirical stage. The
result of this theory is an integration of the many theories in the literature of various fields such
as communication, PR, management, organizational psychology and sociology, social and
cognitive psychology, feminist studies, political science, decision making and culture focused on
measuring the ideal of communication excellence (Grunig, 1992:1- 2). The excellence theory is a
normative theory aimed at providing an idealistic framework of how PR practice should be
practiced in order to serve public interest. The excellence in PR describes the ideal state in which
knowledgeable communicators seek symmetrical relations through the management of
communication with key stakeholders (Dozier, Grunig & Grunig, 1995). On a philosophical
level, symmetrical PR is more ethical and socially responsible as practitioners manage conflict.
On a pragmatic level, literature shows that symmetrical PR programs contribute to organizational
effectiveness (Grunig, 1992:6-7). The foundation of the excellence theory in PR is summarized
in the two effectiveness questions: “when and why are efforts of communication practitioners
effective?” and “how do organizations benefit from PR?”. Autonomy, interdependence and
relationships reveal the contribution PR makes to organizational effectiveness. These three
concepts are all interlinked, as PR practitioners need to manage the communication of various
external and internal stakeholders that the organization has relationships with. Relationships limit
autonomy but in order for organizations to be effective, they must adapt, cooperate and interact
with groups that might limit their autonomy. Organizations with good relationships are more
effective as they have more freedom and more autonomy. Consequently, building relationships
and managing the interdependence is the substance of PR (Grunig, Grunig, Ehling in Grunig,
1992:66-69).
2.1.2 Legitimacy Theory

For public relations practitioners to be effective in establishing and maintaining mutually

beneficial relationships with stakeholders, it is necessary to understand and negotiate many
environmental influences on the organization that impact its survival. Institutional theory
suggests that organizational survival depend not just on material resources and technical
information, but also on the organization’s perceived legitimacy. Organizational legitimacy is a
summative reflection of the relationship between an organization and its environment.
Legitimacy theory is defined and explained by many authors. Weber (1988) stressed the
importance of legitimacy with his belief that legitimate order guided social action. Weber states
that legitimacy theory is important in organizations by legitimate order of social actions.
Organizations are found in environment and established by social divisions. Therefore, according
to Weber (1998), legitimacy theory is used to order and guiding the actions of social in the
organizations. Additionally, Hoogiemstra (2000) looks at the image of a company through the
legitimacy theory. According to this theory, the survival of a company is dependent on the extent
to which the company operates within the bounds of the society. This means that companies that
do not seem to affect their immediate publics in a positive manner may be set to leave the market
sooner than later. Norms of society are gradually changing; companies need to depend on
corporate reporting (communication of its activities) to prove that they are changing with the
changing environment. Corporate reporting, in this case, will have to be geared towards self-
laudatory, which will show the stakeholders what the firm is doing for the environment like
reducing pollution, maintaining quality, sponsoring events close to the hearts of the people. In
general, the concept of legitimacy theory is important in analyzing the relationships between the
organizations and their environment to build effective relationship in building organizational
image.

Social theory in public relations perspectives

social theory can help us to make sense of public relations at the societal, organizational, and
individual levels to create strong relationships and to maintain good organizational reputation.
According to Ihlen, O., & van Ruler, B. (2007), supposed that, social theory in public relations
are often studied from a managerial perspective. Nevertheless, to understand its role in building
trust or creating mistrust and in developing—or destroying—an organization‘s license
(organizational reputation), the practice of public relations also need to be studied as a social
phenomenon.

Situational Theory of communication.

In contrast to the simplistic Domino Theory, Situational Theory of communication holds that the
relationship between knowledge (awareness), attitudes and behaviour is contingent on a number
of situational factors. Grunig lists four key situational factors: (1) the level of problem
recognition; (2) the level of constraint recognition (does the person see the issue or problem as
within their control or ability to do something); (3) the presence of a referent criterion (a prior
experience or prior knowledge); and (4) level of involvement.