Observation and Measurement of Two Dimensions of Organizational Culture and Their Relationship to Public Relations

Abstract

The concept of organizational culture entered the fields of organizational studies, management and organizational communication nearly I5 years ago, but public relations theorists seldom have used it to explain why organizations practice public relations as they do or to explain the effect of public relations activities on culture. This article reviews the literature on organizational culture. It addresses the questions of whether culture can be measured with quantitative scales. or whether it must be observed qualitatively, and whether culture can be managed. We reason that culture can be measured quantitatively, and we developed 48 questionnaire items based on cultural concepts in the literature. These items were included in a questionnaire administered to 4,631 employees in 321 organizations in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom that were included in the International Association of Business Communicators Research Foundation-sponsored project. Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management. Factor analysis produced indices of two dimensions of organizational culture—of participatory and authoritarian dimensions of culture. These indices then were correlated with 55 variables that were used to produce an index of excellence in public relations. Results suggest that culture is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for excellence in public relations. Participatory culture provides a nurturing environment for excellence: excellence also can occur in an authoritarian culture. Participatory culture correlates strongly, however, with several variables describing the organizational context—a symmetrical system of internal communication, organic structure, and job satisfaction—suggesting that symmetrical internal communication may be the entry point for public relations practitioners to affect organizational culture and, in turn to begin an incremental process toward excellence in public relations.