Journal of Public Relations Research

Aghazadeh, Sarah A.

2022 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/1062726X.2022.2118749

Public relations (PR) scholars have highlighted the discipline’s responsibility to advocate for marginalized groups against the backdrop of fully functioning society theory (FFST), which emphasizes how collectives, issues, and ideas undergo appraisal for collective decision-making. What is in need of scholarly inquiry is how marginalized groups struggle to assert the legitimacy and authenticity required to influence collective decision-making when appraisals of worth are predicated on the cultural context that marginalizes them. This essay explicates legitimacy and authenticity alongside culture and marginality to investigate the specific advocacy challenges that marginalized groups face. Ultimately, it presents theoretical extensions for FFST, urges PR to consider the differences between facilitational and representational advocacy approaches for marginalized groups, and encourages PR scholarship and practice to legitimize lived experience. While this essay primarily draws examples from a specific marginalized group within mental health advocacy, consumers/survivors/ex-patients, it also offers reflections for other marginalized groups.

Capizzo, Luke; Feinman, Meredith

2022 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/1062726X.2022.2127728

This conceptual paper introduces the concept of civic listening to augment organizational listening theory and practice. Drawing from critical theorists Arendt and Mouffe, it centers pluralism, agonism, deliberation, and reflection as central to listening and delineates the functions and values of civic listening to add to existing architectures. In doing so it provides additional guidance to help organizations (1) listen for what might be challenging for leaders to hear, (2) ensure values of deliberation and pluralism are enacted in listening contexts, and (3) help better triangulate organizational awareness among a diverse constellation of other organizations and stakeholders. Building on organizational listening scholarship that addresses the potential for the concept’s contributions to democratic society, this new perspective points toward deeper, more nuanced, and more equitable organizational engagement in civic discourse and firmer ground for contentious issue involvement. It introduces five critical values within an architecture of civic listening to guide practice: “other” orientation, pluralistic engagement, harmony over consensus, reflective processes, and social problem-solving focus.

Yang, Sung-Un; Kang, Minjeong; Kim, Young; Lee, Ejae

2022 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/1062726X.2022.2123331

Despite the growing attention to corporate social advocacy in the extant literature, little empirical research has examined the effects of corporate social advocacy in the context of employees. The purpose of this study was to delve into the impact of leadership in corporate social advocacy (CSA) on positive employee outcomes, using data from an online survey of full-time employees working in various corporations in the United States. Controlling for the participants’ tenure, demographic information, and company size, this study found that leaders’ facilitation of corporate social advocacy strongly influenced employee advocacy for their organizations, which was also significantly mediated by employees’ personal identification with the leader and by employee–organization relationship (EOR) quality.