1. Ændr 2. linje i overskriften til AU Passata Light AARHUS UNIVERSITET 30. JUNI 2016  BARCELONA PR MEETING #6 THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION AND PROFESSIONALIZATION OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN NIGERIA: APPLYING THE ACTIVITY THEORY FRAMEWORK ​ Oludotun Kayode Fashakin ​ Center for Corporate Communication, Business Communications Department, Aarhus University - Denmark

2. AARHUS UNIVERSITET 30. JUNI 2016  BARCELONA PR MEETING #6 For at få punktopstilling på teksten (flere niveauer findes), brug ‘Forøg listeniveau’ For at få venstrestillet tekst uden punktopstilling, brug ‘Formindsk listeniveau’ Ændr 2. linje i overskriften til AU Passata Light ​ Public Relations (PR) continues to struggle for a voice in Nigeria ​ Problem: Tensions and underlying isues are not understood ​ Effects: PR and the respective actors’ image suffers in Nigeria!!! ​ Prelimenary Pilot study (semi-structured interviews) ​ (1) organizations’ perceived practitioner incompetence, (2) predominant one-way PR practices ​ (3) inter-profession jurisdictional battles, (4) inconsistent PR education scope and curricula. ​ Context includes perspectives from: Organization, NIPR, PR educators NIGERIA’S PROBLEMATIC PR ENVIRONMENT 2

3. AARHUS UNIVERSITET 30. JUNI 2016  BARCELONA PR MEETING #6 For at få punktopstilling på teksten (flere niveauer findes), brug ‘Forøg listeniveau’ For at få venstrestillet tekst uden punktopstilling, brug ‘Formindsk listeniveau’ Ændr 2. linje i overskriften til AU Passata Light ​ Culture knowledge may not be sufficient for understanding tensions in Nigeria’s complex PR environment ​ Practice theory - focus on what people (actors) do + why they do it (Rittenhofer & Valentini, 2015) ​ Activity Theory – focus on Actors’ Realities and Practices from a social constructionist view  perspective PR WITHIN SPECIFIC CONTEXTS International PR theory Culbertson, Jeffers, Stone, & Terrell, 1993; Culbertson & Chen, 1996; The global PR theory Sriramesh & Vercic, 2003, 2009 - Social - Political - Economic - Sensitivity to the context or country - Generic principles/specific applications - Country infrastructure, societal and corporate culture and media environment - Drive for effective PR practice in contexts SPE context Overemphasizing cultural contexts (Beck, 2002; Molleda & Laskin 2005; Weaver, 2011) 3

4. AARHUS UNIVERSITET 30. JUNI 2016  BARCELONA PR MEETING #6 For at få punktopstilling på teksten (flere niveauer findes), brug ‘Forøg listeniveau’ For at få venstrestillet tekst uden punktopstilling, brug ‘Formindsk listeniveau’ Ændr 2. linje i overskriften til AU Passata Light ​ Neo-institutional theory (Scott 2008; DiMaggio & Powell, 1983; Meyer & Rowan, 1977; Oliver, 1991; Boxenbaum & Strandgaard- Pedersen, 2009 etc.) ​ - interdependences between actors and their environment ​ - Passive versus strategic response to institutionalized practices ​ - multiple institutional logics( ORG,NIPR,EDU )  contradicting logics  institutional complexities (Greenwood, Raynard, Kodeih, Micelotta, & Lounsbury, 2011) Sociology of professions : Traits, power and Institutional approaches to professionalization (Etzioni, 1969; Millerson, 1964; Freidson, 1970; Faulconbridge & Muzio, 2007; Abbott, 1988; Larson, 1977; Muzio, Brock & Suddaby, 2013) THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK TO APPROACH PRACTICES AND ACTIVITIES 4

5. AARHUS UNIVERSITET 30. JUNI 2016  BARCELONA PR MEETING #6 For at få punktopstilling på teksten (flere niveauer findes), brug ‘Forøg listeniveau’ For at få venstrestillet tekst uden punktopstilling, brug ‘Formindsk listeniveau’ Ændr 2. linje i overskriften til AU Passata Light ​ Scandinavian Activity Theory, roots in Vygotysk, Lentove et al. (psychological AT) ​ Systemic view-interactions between organization and its environment-context-everyday practices-contradictions-tensions-opportunities for collaborative transformation ​ Lens for studying the activities and practices of interdependent actors coexisting in a shared environment where contradictions exist, and are manifested as disturbances or tensions (Engeström, 2000). ENGESTROM’S ACTIVITY THEORY 5

6. AARHUS UNIVERSITET 30. JUNI 2016  BARCELONA PR MEETING #6 For at få punktopstilling på teksten (flere niveauer findes), brug ‘Forøg listeniveau’ For at få venstrestillet tekst uden punktopstilling, brug ‘Formindsk listeniveau’ Ændr 2. linje i overskriften til AU Passata Light ACTICITY THEORY COMPONENTS 6

7. AARHUS UNIVERSITET 30. JUNI 2016  BARCELONA PR MEETING #6 Overskrift én linje Bold eller Regular ACTIVITY THEORY’S 5 PRINCIPLES (1) A collective of goal directed and interdependent Activity systems (AS) as unit of analysis (2) AS comprising participants with multiple points of view and diverse conventions in networks of interacting AS  CONTRADICTIONS (3) AS are understood by history of activities and objects as well as the theoretical ideals and tools that have shaped them over time (4) Contradictions within and between AS  opportunities for transformations (5) Change through deliberate and collectively developed transformations  shared objects ​ 7

8. AARHUS UNIVERSITET 30. JUNI 2016  BARCELONA PR MEETING #6 Overskrift én linje Bold eller Regular ACTIVITY THEORY AND CONTRADICTIONS ​ Contradictions are fundamental tensions and misalignments in the structure that typically manifest themselves as problems, ruptures, and breakdowns in the functioning of the activity system (Virkkunen & Kuutti (2000: 302) ​ Four levels of contradiction (Engeström, 1987) ​ i) Primary contradictions occur within components of an AS ​ Ii) Secondary contradictions occurs between components of an activity system ​ iii) Tertiary contradiction occurs between the objects of AS coexisting in environments with two or more AS. ​ Iv) Quaternary contradiction occurs between the components of an AS and that of its coexisting AS 8

9. AARHUS UNIVERSITET 30. JUNI 2016  BARCELONA PR MEETING #6 Overskrift én linje Bold eller Regular APPLYING ACTIVITY THEORY TO PR IN NIGERIA ​ Step 1: Clarify the purpose of Activity system ​ Step 2: Analyze Activity systems ​ Step 3: Analyze the Activity Structure ​ Step 4: Analyze tools and mediators ​ Step 5: Analyze the context ​ Step 6: Analyzing Activity Systems Dynamics 9 Six Steps approach (Jonassen & Rohrer-Murphy, 1999)

10. AARHUS UNIVERSITET 30. JUNI 2016  BARCELONA PR MEETING #6 Overskrift én linje Bold eller Regular 10 NEXT STEPS Data Collection: Semi-structured interviews in Nigeria with: ​ i) C-suite members or management representatives of organizations PR understanding, functions, perspectives and practices ​ ii) NIPR leadership and committee members Perspectives on PR professionalism, certification, ideal PR practitioner role and functions in the workplace ​ iii) PR educators (Head of Corporate communications or Mass Communication Departments) Perspectives on essential PR knowledge, PR as mass or corporate communication, PR curricula and scope Stay Abroad Visiting PhD at Lagos Business School, Lagos-Nigeria (October – December 2016) Conferences EUPRERA Congress and PhD Seminar (Groningen/Amsterdam - September/October 2016)

11. AARHUS UNIVERSITET 30. JUNI 2016  BARCELONA PR MEETING #6 Overskrift én linje Bold eller Regular CONCLUDING REMARKS ​ Contradicting practices  tensions within Nigeria’s PR environment, ​ Neo-institutional theory helps to unearth the values that have been infused into the interdependent PR practices, PR professionalization processes and PR education in Nigeria ​ Neo-institutional theory + AT framework  actors as individual ASs but also as interdependent ASs with multiple perspectives that informs their respective institutionalized practices  contradictions that must be explored ​ Expected Contributions ​ Introducing and demonstrating how Activity Theory (AT) could be applied to studying contextual PR practices ​ An empirical holistic study of PR practices in Nigeria going beyond anecdotal evidence or focus on single actor. 11

12. AARHUS UNIVERSITET 30. JUNI 2016  BARCELONA PR MEETING #6 Overskrift én linje Bold eller Regular ​ Questions ​ Comments ​ Concerns? ​ fashakin@bcom.au.dk 12

13. AARHUS UNIVERSITET 30. JUNI 2016  BARCELONA PR MEETING #6 Overskrift én linje Bold eller Regular ​ Thank you for listening 13