The Role of Public Relation Practice in Promoting Effective Management: A Case of Selected Tertiary Institutions in Ghana

Abstract

The aim of this research was to examine the role of PR in promoting effective management in some selected tertiary institutions in Ghana. The objectives of the study were to examine how PR practice is incorporated into the management of the various tertiary institutions, identify some of the mediums that managements use to engage with the PR department in relation to decision making and to assess the nature of challenges faced by PR practitioners in the official conduct of their duties. The research study employed a qualitative methodological approach utilizing an individual interview technique. Using a purposive sample of 3 selected public tertiary institutions within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, the interview guide was the main tool used in gathering information for the study through in-depth interviews. The respondents were public relations officers of the three tertiary institutions in Ghana. The underpinning theory this study used were the systems and excellence theory. The findings from the study reveals that the various institutions incorporate PR practice into the management of their universities via information dissemination, publicity and event publications and management despite some bottlenecks in strategic management where PR units are ascribed peripheral roles in strategic decision-making processes. The findings also reveal that PR departments are largely not considered as part of the strategic management of institutions. They are only seen as information dissemination points of service to the general public and sometimes perform peripheral roles that are not directly linked to the strategic management decision-making outlet of the various institutions. PR departments have subsequently been used for damage control and in most cases for crisis management which does not augur well for the effective management of the various universities. As a result, PR departments, have become conduits for the dissemination of decisions taken by management without their actual involvement in the inception of ideas into policies taken or directives of the various institutions. Finally, the findings of the study reveal that PR practitioners encounter several challenges that tend to affect them negatively in the official discharge of their duties, roles and responsibilities. On the basis of the findings, the study recommends that PR departments should be adequately represented on management boards, councils and decision-making bodies to ensure their effective contribution to managing the various universities. It is the contention of this study that this would pave way for the effective management of the universities in relation to policy design, formulation and implementation. It also recommends that the PR departments should be adequately resourced in relation to logistics and resources required to ensure that PR practitioners are able to deliver on their respective roles in relation to information dissemination and building the corporate image of the universities.