Abstract

The aim of this research is to gain insight into the reasons behind the variation in outcomes for public relations officers and to determine if this variability is influenced by gender roles and organizational culture.

The study employs the four public relations roles articulated in the conceptual model: (1) expert prescriber, (2) communication technician, (3) communication facilitator, and (4) problem-solving process facilitator to evaluate role adoption in public relations and its impact on public relations outcomes. Similarly, organizations function within four primary cultural dimensions: power culture dimension, role culture dimension, achievement culture dimension, and support culture dimension. A qualitative methodology was utilized for this research.

An interview guide facilitated data collection, while thematic analysis was performed to interpret the data. In total, 11 public relations professionals were interviewed, with the shortest interview lasting under 13 minutes and the longest exceeding 25 minutes. The study’s results indicate that established gender roles and organizational culture have both negative and positive effects on public relations outcomes.

Organizations governed by a strong power culture dimension experienced more adverse public relations results. Established gender roles, as noted by one interviewee, did impact her hiring experience and role assignment, though this perspective is not commonly held among others. The findings imply that established gender roles are apparent in public relations role assignments and executions, as women tend to occupy more communication technician positions, in line with prior research.

However, recent trends show that women are increasingly taking on more demanding roles. Still, established gender roles did not play a significant part in their hiring processes. To summarize, established gender roles are being replaced by skill and merit, which now influence public relations outcomes, while public relations professionals in organizations characterized by a power culture dimension encounter less favorable public relations outcomes compared to their counterparts in other cultural dimensions.

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