Toward a Roles Theory for Strategic Communication: The Case of South Africa

Abstract

The aim of this study was to promote theory building in strategic communication by testing and measuring public relations roles theory through an online survey among a population of 782 South African advertising, public relations, and government practitioners. Eight of the roles were previously tested in public relations research, and a ninth, the role of strategist, was conceptualized for this study based on the work of Steyn (2002, 2007). Reliability analysis confirmed seven of the nine roles existed in South African communication practice: strategist, cultural interpreter, media relations, communication facilitator, expert prescriber, liaison, and process facilitator. However, factor analysis reduced data to four parsimonious roles: strategist, media specialist, liaison, and cultural interpreter. Statistically significant ANOVA findings showed the cultural interpreter role was most performed in government and the mining/industrial/manufacturing sectors. A synergistic worldview helped practitioners to better perform the cultural interpreter role. The findings showed that these roles were largely performed across different contexts, indicating that strategic communication can be viewed as a common denominator for all forms of communication practice. This research challenges the siloed study of communication practice in forms such as public relations, advertising, or government relations, and indicates that there is more common ground between communication practice in different settings than previously thought.