PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC RELATIONS: Creativity

Peter Ferdinand Drucker

Introduction

Peter Ferdinand Drucker born 1909 and died in 2005, was an Australian-American author, educator and management consultant whose writing inspired and contributed to practical and philosophical foundation of the contemporary business corporation. Similarly, other than contributing a lot to the development of managerial education, he came up with the self control and management by practice concept (John & Michael, 2005). It is these concepts which made him the founder of modern business management.

Out of the two elements, the one I find much interesting is management by objectives (MBO). The reason for this consideration is because management by objectives is regarded as being the process of defining certain objectives within an organization which its management can convey to the members of the organization, then deciding on how to realize each objective in sequence. Therefore, this process enables managers to be able to take work which requires to be done step by step to allow for calm, yet productive working environment. This assists members of business organizations to see their accomplishments as they realize each set objective that reinforces a positive working environment as well as a sense of achievement (Aquinas, 2010).

Moreover, the significant section of the management by objectives is often the comparison and measurements of the actual employees’ performance with regard to the set standards. Preferably, whenever employees by themselves have been involved with the organization’s objective-setting and then choosing the path of action which they will follow, they will have a higher chance of fulfilling their possibilities. Furthermore, considering the MBO model, creativity is any idea, product, or act which will modify the existing domain or transforming it into new one (Aquinas, 2010). Thus, all that counts in this is whether ones novelty will be accepted in the domain.

Therefore, the concept of creativity is commonly used in individuals like Peter Ferdinand Drucker who came up with the theory of management by objectives (MBO). The creativity in the MBO concept can be well explained from the perspective or the applicability in business environments. Thus, although its outcome maybe a difficult part of the equation, it is clear that each organization have got its own outcomes based on the kind of business it is in. to some extent it can be challenging to match outcomes accurately because the creativity in it may be only one component of the complex product or service (John & Andy, 2009). The impact of the creativity that lies in this model cannot be run in isolation from other components. Although this lies in the specifics of the organization, monitoring its application is the one which results into work efficiency. Creativity measures the efficiency of MBO through comparing the resources which are required for producing a product or offering a certain service.

Because of these considerations, the concept of creativity is regarded as the tendency of generating or recognizing new ideas, possibilities, or alternatives which can be useful in solving various problems, entertaining ourselves, communicating with others and so on. In particular, this act is the process of turning inventive and new ideas into reality (Robinson, 2011). This is also coupled with the ability of perceiving the whole world in new ways in order to find out the hidden patterns, making a connection between apparently unrelated phenomena an then developing a solution for them in return.

This act involves two processes i.e. thinking and then producing. For instance, in case a person has an idea but doesn’t act on it, he or she is imaginative and not creative. Conversely, the process of creativity usually needs commitments and passion. It brings out certain awareness which was once hidden and then pointing it into new life. These experiences are majorly one of the heightened consciousnesses.

Regardless of the above considerations, my view is that the concept of creativity has nothing to do with any particular activity. Since anything can be creative, it means that one can bring that quality to the creativity. Activity on its own is neither creative nor uncreative. It is the quality that a person brings to the activity he or she is doing. Moreover, since it is an attitude or an inner approach of looking at things, it can also be said as being the mental characteristics which enables an individual to reason outside the box. This then leads into innovative approaches to a particular task (Robinson, 2011).

The concept of creativity is sometimes regarded as being the life blood of public relations (PR). The reason for this is because it is the one which guides PR leaders through a wide range of techniques as well as tips which are essential in generating creative ideas. These creative ideas can be described in five I’s of the creative process i.e. idea/information, illumination, Incubation, integration and illustration. Therefore, it should be noted that public relations has no exceptions from the rules that a business organizational leaders requires so as to be creative. The department of public relations requires its leaders to have creative leadership style considering the needs of the customers (Green & C.I.P.R, 2010). Such creative concepts have the possibility of solving communication problems in an imaginative way as well as be interesting enough to the extent of capturing the minds of the targeted audience.

With respect to the creative element, it then means that public relations practitioners should be in the position of finding new ways of presenting an idea so as to be able to communicate a persuasive message which in its strategic words can sound as being a dull piece of business. Conversely, finding some brilliant creative concept will enable public relations practitioners to move beyond the safety of strategy statements or the conventional way of doing things and in return leap into the world of the unknown and untried (Green & C.I.P.R, 2010).

 

 

Bibliography

Aquinas, P. G. (2010). Organization structure and design: Applications and challenges. New Delhi: Excel Books.

John C.W & Michael C.W, (2005). Peter F. Drucker: Critical Evaluations in Business and Management. Taylor & Francis Press

John L & Andy B, (2009). Social Work Management and Leadership: Managing Complexity with Creativity. Routledge Press

Robinson, K. (2011). Out of our minds: Learning to be creative. Hoboken N.J: Capstone

Green, A., & Chartered Institute of Public Relations. (2010). Creativity in public relations. London: Kogan Page.