Understanding the Three-Stage Model & Situational Theory in Public Relations

In order for public relations practices to be excellent, publics or stakeholders must be segmented, as framed by the theory of strategic public relations management. A good understanding of key stakeholders and what matters to them holds the insight necessary for PR practitioners to craft an effective communication strategy to reach their audiences. However, strategic public relations is not just about communication strategies, it highlights understanding the public environment that an organization operates in and the groups that are affected by it or affect it.

From Kim, Ni & Sha (2008)

The Three-Stage Model

Suggested by Grunig and Repper, the three-stage model outlines three stages of strategic public relations management. As shown in Table 1, the model outlines a stakeholder stage, a public stage and an issue stage. Notice how these stages are defined by publics, not by the organization (Kim et al.).

The stakeholder stage refers to when public relations practitioners identify important stakeholders to the organization. Stakeholders include both internal and external publics. Anyone who influences the organization or is influenced by the organization's decisions can be an important stakeholder.

In the public stage, practitioners segment these stakeholders into easily identifiable groups that utilize a specific communication strategy to reach them. According to Grunig, there are typically four types of publics that rank their importance to the organization: all-issue, apathetic, single-issue and hot-issue publics (Kim et al.).

"All-issue publics are active on all of the problems in the situation set

Apathetic publics do not care about any problems/issues

Single-issue publics care for only one or a small subset of the problems in the set

Hot-issue publics are active only on the issue/problem that already involves most of the population and receives heavy media coverage" (Kim et al.).

The issue/crisis stage occurs when publics arise in response to issues that need to be resolved. It is important to recognize when these publics arise so that the organization can communicate with its stakeholders in a time of crisis and show them that their concerns are important (Goldstein & Kolek). The issue stage brings about the Situational Theory of Problem Solving.

The Situational Theory of Problem Solving (STOPS)

The situational theory explains how and when people communicate, and when communication with publics is most effective. According to Kim (2013), the key of situational theory is that it is situational, meaning problems come and go. Publics change, so organizations should communicate with whom is likely to respond. It is important for PR practitioners to realize communication is variable, not constant (Kim, 2013). STOPS defines the interconnected independent variables for publics as problem recognition, constraint recognition and involvement recognition.

Problem recognition refers to when publics see a problem and want to be involved.

Constraint recognition refers to when a public assesses the barriers that limit their efforts to do something about the problem.

Involvement recognition refers to the connection between the problem and themself. It also influences whether a public has active or passive communication practices.

STOPS also defines notable dependent variables for PR practitioners to observe whether a public has active or passive communication. Conceptualized by Kim, Grunig and Ni (2010), these dependent variables are Communicative Actions in Problem Solving.

They explain how information is acquired;

Information forfending (active) and information permitting (passive)

how information is transmitted to others;

Information forwarding (active) and information sharing (passive)

and how information is selected.

Information seeking (active) and information attending (passive)

Overall, the excellence of public relations depends on more than just well-crafted messages. It relies on a deep understanding of stakeholders and the ever-changing environments in which they exist. By recognizing stakeholders, segmenting publics and adapting strategies using the Three-Stage Model and the Situational Theory of Problem Solving, practitioners can create communication that is not only strategic but also responsive to the concerns of important stakeholders. Stakeholders are at the center of every stage of public relations, reminding us that meaningful relationships begin with understanding who they are, what they value and how they respond to organizational issues.

References

Goldstein, D. & Kolek, J. (2020). How to Understand the Mindset of Your Stakeholders. PRSA. https://www.prsa.org/article/how-to-understand-the-mindset-of-your-stakeholders

Kim, J-N. (2013). Situational Theory of Problem Solving. Encyclopedia of Public Relations (Ed. 2). SAGE.

Kim, J.-N., Grunig, J. E., & Ni, L. (2010). Reconceptualizing the communicative action of publics: Acquisition, selection, and transmission of information in problematic situations. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 4(2) 126-154.

Kim, J-N., Ni, L., & Sha, B-L. (2008). Breaking Down the Stakeholder Environment: Explicating Approaches to the Segmentation of Publics for Public Relations Research. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 85(4), 751-768.