Character, culture & responsibility: GA announces launch of ‘Melbourne Mandate’ dialogue leading to 2012 World Public Relations Forum and invites practitioners and academics to participate
Communicating ethically and responsibly, understanding and engaging stakeholders, defining an organisation’s character and building a listening culture are the greatest contributions communicators can make to modern organisations, according to a new survey of the leaders of the world’s major public relations industry associations by the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management.
The Global Alliance, the confederation of the world’s major public relations and communication management associations and institutions, is using the results of a survey of close to 300 leaders of industry associations on every continent to frame an eight-month dialogue on the value of communication to organizations. The GA aims to use this dialogue to define a new ‘mandate’ for communicators at the World Public Relations Forum being hosted by the PRIA in Melbourne at this November at the Convention and Exhibition Centre.
“Communication is changing our world, our organizations and our profession, and the Global Alliance survey shows that communication must change as a consequence,” said Daniel Tisch, Chair of the Global Alliance. “That’s why the Global Alliance’s dialogue will focus on how communicators can help define organisational character, build a culture of listening and engagement, and understand their individual, organisational and professional responsibilities to society.”
Survey identifies major roles for PR / communications
The GA’s survey, administered from November 2011 through January 2012, shows that leaders of the major PR and communications industry associations see five major roles for the profession:
1. Applying ethics and responsibility to communication decisions;
2. Researching organization’s reputation & stakeholder environment;
3. Engaging stakeholders to define the organization’s character (or DNA);
4. Developing a listening culture within the organization; and
5. Integrating mainstream and social media communication.
Respondents see social media as the greatest opportunity for communicators, as digital networks can play a key role in understanding and engaging stakeholders and enabling organisational listening. Social media is also seen as a threat to organisational communication, due to the loss of organizational control over the speed and content of communication.
The ‘Melbourne Mandate’ begins
In the months leading to the Seventh World Public Relations Forum (November 18-20, 2012), the Global Alliance invites practitioners and academics to join working groups and online dialogues on the role of communication in three areas: (1) Defining organizational DNA; (2) Creating a culture of listening and engagement; and (3) Understanding personal, organizational and professional responsibility.
Each dialogue will flow into a draft ‘Melbourne Mandate for Global Communication,’ a consensus-based statement on the organizational and societal value of communication that will be considered by the delegates to the World Public Relations Forum. To join the dialogue, please email the Global Alliance Center at info@globalalliancepr.org
Find out more:
1. Download the Melbourne Mandate Abstract
2. Download the Survey Results
