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important and more significant assignments
than was the case prior to September 11. As
one October respondent wrote, ‘The horror
that took place that day gave communications
a chance to help senior managers in
my company lead.’ Another pointed out, ‘Our
public relations and communications function
is in a stronger position, because we were able
to serve so effectively September 11 and
every day since then.’ And one offered this
comment, ‘We are now discussing everything,
and our corporate communications professionals
have been thrust right into the center
of virtually everything the company does.’
A high-ranking officer in one of the world’s
largest public relations agencies said, ‘We
have changed how we communicate to our
employees and how our clients communicate
to all of their publics.’ Open-ended comments
to the March survey echoed and reinforced
these thoughts. One such comment, from a
senior-level, chief PR officer, was, ‘Following
the attacks the CEO and others turned to us for
help much more frequently than ever before.
And, because we were able to deliver when
called upon, those people continue to seek
our assistance. 9–11 really changed the communications
milieu in our company.’
In some instances, the initial new-found
appreciation for public relations and communication
developed out of having corporate
communication professionals take the lead
in organizing fundraising and relief assistance
efforts during September and October. In
other 2001 situations, CEOs and executive
heads of other corporate functions sought
advice from communication and PR professionals
before taking actions that previously
had been considered fairly routine. Immediately
following the attacks, organizations
appeared to be much more sensitive about
what they said and did, how they put things
forward, and whether actions were appropriate
given time and place. March survey results
suggest this had softened some, but corporate
public relations officers clearly thought the
situation was better in March 2002 than it
had been prior to September 11. In October,
the PR and communication function appeared
to be playing a more significant role in helping
companies decide what they should do
and how they should do it in addition to
helping them decide what to say and how
to say it. This also appeared to be the case in
March.
A number of March respondents thought
the impact of September 11 might have been
escalating over time. Senior-level consultant,
E. Bruce Harrison, said, ‘The CPRO role is
escalating. It’s logical. All corporate top executives
are now extraordinarily sensitized to the
potential for sudden events, including a crisis.
During times of crisis, CEOs and others in top
management instinctively turn to communications
and involve the CPRO. This lights
the entire communications board.’ Matthew P.
Gonring, who at the time had recently
stepped down as Vice President, Corporate
Communications, Baxter International Inc.,
said the impact of September 11 continued to
have a huge influence upon a variety of
aspects closely related to corporate communications.
Included on Gonring’s list are a
greater use of the internet and intranet systems,
greater relevance of messages and
impact, increased corporate security, reliance
on alternative means of travel, and the opportunity
for corporate PR executives to exhibit
leadership qualities.
Analysis of various open-ended responses
in both waves of the survey suggests impact
for the corporate public relations and communication
function in the following areas:
• mobilizing organizational change;
• influencing policy making;
© 2004 Sandra Oliver for editorial matter and selection;
individual chapters, the contributors