Situational Theory of Publics: A PR Perspective

In market segmentation, people can be identified and classified according to the time they take to recognise an issue facing them. They can also be identified & categorised according to how far they go in acting or reacting to issues.

The theory was developed by the PR veteran Prof. James E. Grunig at the University of Maryland. To date it is a well-tested theory which also makes part of the excellence theory. The theory is credited by PR scholars as being the first “deep theory” in the PR field.

The theory aims at putting messages across at the right time and to the right audience, it is for this reason that PR managers should strive at adding value to an organisation and contribute to its success by using cost effective means (Situational Theory Techniques) when putting messages across.

The theory consists of independent & dependent key concepts called variables (these variables changing from one person to another). They were formed to predict communication behaviour, attitude change and behaviour change (Grunig, 1978 & others). For example Problem recognition variable predicts the stage at which a person recognises the problem facing him/her. Besides, Constraint recognition variable tells the stage at which a person recognises the factors beyond his/her control that could prevent him/her from behaving/acting in a certain way. While Level of involvement variable measure of how personally and emotionally a person is attached to a certain problem

A good example of an issue that can be used to further explain the paragraphs is the recent South African public servants’ strike. During the protests PR practitioners and the media divided people in different groups according to the variables above so as to find out how various groups reacted to the strike in order to send out messages that suited each respective audience. By so doing communicators knew what level of knowledge that various affected publics had about the strike and therefore, they were able to identify what to communicate, who to communicate to, the language to use, mediums to apply and of course when and how to put the messages across to make an impact. Hence, the Situational Theory remains a vital element of the PR Excellence Theory.