Understanding Factors Affecting Organizations’ Implementation of Dialogic Communication: An Exploratory Study

• In Event: Best Faculty Papers in Public Relations

Abstract

Even though a line of public relations theory argues that dialogic communication is both ethical and beneficial for organizations (Kent & Taylor, 1998, 2002), empirical studies found many organizations hesitate to implement dialogic communication strategies. This article seeks to explore the obstacles that prevent some organizations from engaging public in dialogues. We analyzed data from a large scale national survey among senior level public relations practitioners and our findings suggest that three dimensions of factors strongly influence organizations’ dialogic communication: organizations’ tolerance for the risk associated with dialogic communication, organizations’ needs for dialogic communication and the role public relations play in organizations.

Authors

• Jin Huang, U of Southern California - Annenberg School for Communication

• Aimei Yang, University of Southern California