Public Relations Octopus Model Part 8: "Public Relations Organizational Strength"

The final element of the "PR Octopus Model Analysis," which breaks down corporate public relations activities into " Eight PR Capabilities " (Figure 1), is "PR Organizational Capability." The Corporate PR Strategy Institute defines "PR Organizational Capability" as the level of decision-making mechanisms, meeting structures, and system development required to integrate management activities with PR activities.

Eight Public Relations Capabilities

 

■  Communication organizational strength is determined by the level of coordination with management and business operations

Strategic public relations activities require close organizational proximity between the core management and the PR department. Beyond this, the depth of content is crucial, including establishing mechanisms for regular information sharing with other departments and implementing planned activities.

The specific elements that must be fulfilled are:
　　 ① The presence of an executive officer responsible for PR
　　 ② Establishment of a dedicated PR department
　　 ③ Collaboration between PR and other departments
　　 ④ Attendance of PR personnel at key company decision-making meetings
　　 ⑤ A system for accumulating PR expertise
　　 ⑥ Utilization of the intranet
Additionally, although still rare in Japan,
　　 ⑦ Top management's PR experience
is also a factor that significantly impacts the strength of the PR organization.

From this perspective, examining the results of the " First Survey on Corporate Public Relations Activities " (Figure 2) reveals several challenges.

*Percentage of 479 listed companies that responded indicating they applied to the PR organizational capability category.

First, the fundamental organizational elements—"having a dedicated PR department" (47.8%) and "having a board member responsible for PR" (32.8%)—both fell below 50%. This is unexpectedly low for listed companies.

Next, even the highest-rated item—"top management and PR have opportunities to exchange information" (52.4%)—only barely exceeded half. This is fundamental and should be standard practice for the vast majority of companies.

Furthermore, "The current top management has experience in the PR department" (6.3%) is extremely low.

Finally, regarding cross-departmental and group collaboration: "The PR department has a system (established meetings) for regular information exchange with internal business units and overseas subsidiaries" (18.0%), "Opportunities for regular information exchange are established with PR departments of group companies" (20.0%), "A database or intranet for sharing PR-related information is established" (27.8%).

■ Evolving into a Corporate Communications Department: The Increasingly Demanded Organizational Capability

In recent years, more companies have renamed their PR departments as Corporate Communications Departments, and their responsibilities have evolved accordingly. Collaboration and coordination with business units have become even more critical missions, requiring the department to serve as a hub connecting internal and external stakeholders. Maintaining consistency in communication activities with shareholders, government, consumers, and the industry has also become a key responsibility. An even more critical role is the creation, unification, management, and implementation of corporate messaging that forms the core of management strategy.

In recent years, reputation and social responsibility have significantly impacted business performance, making corporate communications more important than ever. For most companies, establishing the items mentioned in the above question and strengthening their public relations organizational capabilities is an urgent priority.

About the Corporate Communication Strategic Studies Institute
The Corporate Communication Strategic Studies Institute (CSI) is a research organization within Dentsu Inc. Public Relations. It collaborates with experts in corporate management and public relations (including university professors and researchers) to conduct surveys, analysis, and research on corporate communication strategies and systems.