Well you can't run a race in Spanx pants... or can you?

Spanx pants sum up my approach to any type of physical activity... no work and all the perceived gain! However when it comes to a 10km road race apparently they have these clever little digital chips which record just how long it took you to complete the run - and what's more they publish this information on the Internet for all to see and in my case laugh their socks off!!

Why is this of any concern I hear you say? Well Rosie has entered the 14th Annual 10km Lincoln Road Race which takes place on Sunday 21st March... so in 56 days I will have to endure the torture of running 10km aka 6.2 miles around the town of Lincoln finishing in the shadow of Lincoln Castle. Apart from the obvious downside of having to rise before lunchtime on the day (race starts at 11.ooam) I have failed to mention so far that I have yet to start any form of training; and as Jane and my fellow students in Managing Public Relations will know my arse is one that leaves a trail of destruction behind it!

So what's the plan Stan? This is where you guys come in, as of tomorrow I will be rising at the ungodly hour of 6am to drag myself to the gym and pound the treadmill for 45 minutes! I plan to do this on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. However I have a terrible track record for not keeping to any sort of physical activity programme, therefore I am relying on all of you to motivate me in the hope that I will stick to the regime and eventually run the race and finish in a respectable time of under 90 minutes!

So why am I going to all this effort to run round Lincoln on a Sunday morning?!?! Well it's all in the name of Public Relations. My group and I have been set a task for our group assignment to create a PR campaign for a charity. We chose Bassetlaw Hospice in Retford http://www.bassetlawhospice.org/- it is where both my Aunt and Grandmother lost their battle with cancer and I feel that hospices in general whilst not a trendy topic for people to discuss (no one likes to broach death at the dinner table) is a sad necessity in the fight to ensure dignity and calm in the often dark and painfully final stage of many lives. To kick start the campaign I jokingly offered myself up like a sacrificial lamb to do the race in order to raise some media attention and of course well needed funds!!

So here I am on the eve of my training and to be honest while sat curled up on my sofa sipping coffee nothing fills me with more dread than rising three hours earlier than needed to physically exert myself but I promise that I will give it 100% but I do need your help, if you see me challenge me to make sure I've been to the gym and for god's sake if you see a chocolate bar on route to my mouth: backhand me, the harder the better!! I am going to blog over the coming weeks updating you all on my highs and the definite lows!

I can't do this on my own, so I look forward to all of you helping me, together we can do this! Are you with me? Right better dig my running trainers out... do platform heels count?!?!?!

References...

And now for the boring part - Still not 100% confident that I would have been abe to successfully refernence in the style on blog so to cover my back here are the lists of references in the harvard system!

Beard, M, (2002) Running a public relations department 2nd edition. London: Kogan Page

Crofts, J. (2009) Where does PR fit in Managing PR lecture slides: University of Lincoln

Tench, R, Yeomans, L (2009) Exploring public relations 2nd edition. London: Prentice Hall

Gregory, A (ed) (2006) Public relations in practice 2nd edition. London: Kogan Page

Gannon, D. (2009) Internal communications in practice PR organisational communication lecture slides: University of Lincoln

Reflection, Reflecting, Reflective

Does that even make any sense? Three words that in effect mean the same, but by misuse can create a whole new semantic, and in PR unless deliberate this could spell disaster.

So what have I really learnt from the group exercise? Perhaps a few different faces – will that have a massive impact, I doubt it. There is no easy solution to creating My Dream Team much to my sorrow. Instead it is a culmination of confidence, consideration and communication.

The confidence to be honest with your team members but more importantly with yourself; if something is not working speak up don’t always think that if you plough on in mental solitary confinement that everything will be ok – ok it may perhaps be but a good team and work definitely not.

Consideration of others is something I have to admit that does not come that naturally to me, I often just see the task ahead and little regard for what people may have going on outside of the team. Now I know that you’re there to get a job done and it is indeed not a social support group but it does help if you can get to know your fellow team members, recognise if there are any issues and look as a group for any solutions that may improve the situation both for the individual and for the good of the team.

Communication is the one tool that if I had to pick I would say held the key to my dream team. It is a sorely underestimated part of any team work; however it is not a prized pony which is only brought out to impress prospective clients. Make it part of everything that you do, that way in time it will become a natural part of every part of the working day. Corny as this may sound –it is the simple yet vital component to ensure a successful team

‘Companies with strong communications across functions and widely shared information tend to have more productive external relationships’ Rosabeth Moss Kanter (taken from David Gannon’s Lecture slides – internal communication in practice, 17/12/09)

The thought that I wish to leave you with is very simple: knowledge is power. Yes so you may not be able to always choose who you are going to work with you may not even like them; however this I merely an opportunity for you to demonstrate as an individual how adaptable you are, get to know them (that doesn’t necessarily mean go and manicure together) try and find out what their working style is and see if it can compliment others in the group, you just may be surprised at useful they can be. And for goodness sake do The Belbin Test before you embark on group work. My dream team isn’t about whom I do and don’t have for me it’s about looking for the best combination and output productivity possible from what is available, I am under no illusion that it will be perfect next time or the time after that, but practice makes perfect.

Is disengagement a crime?

Before the group task my response would have been a resounding yes. My answer to that now is the complete opposite. One valuable lesson that I have learnt is that not everybody is in this for the same reasons; be it studying for a degree at university or working as part of a PR team. The key to successfully managing disengagement is to identify those that could be considered as disengaged and to try and minimise or even isolate any negative effect they may have on the group.
Whilst a subject which is often shied away from in the business environment, PR unlike other disciplines can be seen to be an area within an organisation where these sorts of potential eventualities are in an ideal setting planned for with a clear internal PR – this stems from PR having a boundary spanning role. Too often than not PR is able to identify such issues in other areas of the organisation and help those respective departments in creating a framework that can be applies to such situations.
This is where we see the great similarities of PR in general and the attainment of a dream team. As work progressed on the brief, it became apparent that what people wanted to put into the task varied enormously, the biggest challenge was whilst recognising this fact and wanting to allow everybody the chance to do everything their own particular way, there was still work to be done. At this stage communication could and should have been the saviour for the team, however it just crumbled by the whey side. Anne Gregory (Public Relations in Practice, 2006 p. 50) includes The virtuous circle of communication
Whilst simple in its approach its message is clear. We as a team failed to value the importance of communication especially offline – more is needed than pleasantries at meetings. Yes this may seem idealistic but this is the team I would choose time and time again; this framework applies to both the individual within the team and the team as a whole – both striving to deliver the message in a coherent and relative fashion to the desired stakeholders.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder... Yeah right!

Whilst at the beginning I promised to be unbiased and retain a level of professionalism I can feel myself literally seething at the sight of this topic. Missing team meetings is a challenge in itself, and something unless on your death bed (sick note would be preferable) I cannot see a reason for. The attitude of receiving an e-mail from the missing member(s) with a shopping list style note of what is apparently their contribution is nothing more than an insult, not a catastrophic one though! However whilst the impact is not immediately apparent, the effect on the team and how we worked together is best akin to erosion, slow but just as damaging. It creates an environment whereby the remaining group members become disengaged. However one friend who has been listening ear throughout the project said to me ‘At least if they don’t turn up then you don’t have to force smile when they come up with a rubbish idea’. Hilarious I know but is this really how I want to view team work as, surely I want the best group of people who together we can create work which not only meets the brief but is intellectually stimulating.

You can’t force people to turn up – this I found out much to my peril; we ended up delivering the pitch with two members missing (one with completely mitigating circumstances, which couldn’t be helped). The other member however failed to show due to be plain drunk/hungover. This I have to say is one of the worst positions I have been in, during all my group work whilst at university. Apart from the complete embarrassment felt, came much worse; when it finally sunk in that we were going to have to deliver our presentation without certain people there, pure panic started to set in. I had absolutely no idea what the script was to accompany his assigned slide and the topic that it covered was not one of my strong points. Upon reflection this gave me one of the most important lessons; which is whilst it may be good for each team to contain specialists who are able to contribute; this in practice can lead to nobody having either interest or tangible knowledge on subjects that they are not working on. Instead a level of a generalist attitude is needed to ensure a complete and rounded piece of work is produced. That by the way is not a free pass for me to take control of everybody’s work – simply perhaps a little familiarising presentation given by each member so people can become more comfortable with each other’s task. Team work is not a new concept yet it continues to be an albatross around the necks of most leaders. The topic as to whether and if so to what extent this concept varies dependent on the setting that the PR is taking place, be it in house, consultancy, agency or perhaps a hybrid is one that will continue long after my collection of blogs, sp who knows it could even become the topic for my dissertation.

There’s no I in DREAM TEAM but there is ME

I think it is paramount that before I become critical of other members of the team that I first take good long hard look at myself. I think it is safe to say that if I had to do this particular task again there would be many things that I would like to change and that includes my contribution to the team and our work. One thing about me that people who know me would say is that I am very good at spotting where things could be improved up if I was looking at somebody else’s team however when it comes to my own, I can be a bit slow on the uptake. I am also extremely conscious of the fact that I like to be the team leader or at least one of those who are regarded as someone to come to if clarification is needed; perhaps this is where a portion of the problem lies. I become so engrossed with making sure that everyone stays on track and focused that I soon become some sort of matriarchal figure head who is seen as the point of call for all issues or simply somebody to wipe the arses of those less capable.

But what does this achieve for both me as an individual and the team? Surely no long term good will come of there being a continuous cycle whereby I treat the other members as if they know no better, all this can lead to is my insanity and a weak piece of team work being produced.

However it isn’t me going mad Fawkes and Tench found ( 2004, cited in Table 3.2 Tench & Yeomans 2009, p. 52) that 84% of employers regarded team work as ‘very important’ – they can’t all be wrong. The solution is simple, in future I will embrace being more a member of the team rather than someone who is there merely there in an organisational and sometimes yes I admit nagging capacity – who wants to be a talking clock!

PR and Dream Team

So where do PR and its management function really fit in? Isn’t team work intrinsic to every corporate setting – why should PR be any different? The answer lies in good old fashioned turf wars and these in themselves can affect the whole direction that a project and its potential success or failure will take. The four level framework for excellent PR as discussed by Grunig (Grunig et el 2002 cited Crofts, 2009, p. 15) shows the clear need for concise and efficient productivity by the PR department as a whole, this can only be helped by attaining the ‘dream team’. PR as a function often has to contend with hostility and disdain from other departments –many thinking that PR merely involves paid for lunches and sessions on the golf course, clearly they are wrong but when has that ever stopped people thinking what they want to think. Accountability and transparency can really come into play here – these are core to managing PR; accountability relates to both other departments in the organisation and also as importantly to the client. Transparency is a must and should be demonstrated from the top downwards.
Figure 2.3 Organisational subsystems theory Source: Grunig and Hunt 1984: 9 Managing Public Relations Exploring Public Relations Tench & Yeomans 2nd Edition
This diagram relates to in-house PR departments and shows how apart from just existing in a way that is concerned with external communication and it’s relevant stakeholders – they are there also in the capacity of to a supporting subsystem which is charged with 5 main areas within the setting of internal communication.

So how did it all begin? Whilst I had not previously worked with the other members of the team, there were plenty of opinions offered by peers and tutors as to how suitable and productive they may or may not turn out to be; take it from me that did not help one little bit. it created preconceptions that really weren’t even my own – yes we all like a gossip, especially me however in future I will take great care in allowing myself to form my own opinions, I don’t tend to normally have a problem with that! The fact that the offered opinions did in fact in some cases turn out to be completely accurate didn’t help with supporting this viewpoint but none the less, it should be aimed for at all times.

The workings of a dream team must start with measured and strategic planning, boring it may be to those more creative however it is essential that this is done properly. Group meeting in my setting were the best way of getting to know everybody else and trying to get a feel for how people work, this again didn’t go to well for our group as a people were missing from the initial meeting and we didn’t manage to get together again for nearly a whole week. This gave us an immediate disadvantage along also with not setting out clear boundaries and expectations that we all should have agreed to work to, how can we truly look back and say that out goal in regards to the pitch that we would deliver to the client was united and clear, not forgetting that it meets the brief

My Dream Team

For a phrase so commonly used, it has taken me weeks if not now months to truly understand what this means, and more importantly how this relates to me as an individual; whilst searching for the holy grail answer I was confronted with some at times unpleasant and harsh truths about myself. It is my intention to publish over the coming days a series of blogs serving as reflective pieces of writing. The experience upon which the reflective blog will be about is a group task set for the Managing PR unit. We were placed in groups with the goal of to both commission a brief and also create a pitch to put to the corresponding commissioning group. I endeavour to be honest even if to my personal detriment this after all is a reflective blog implying that lessons should be learnt from introspection and not slander. However whilst so, I will be truthfully evaluating the success of both the contributions of individuals to the group and the actual dynamics of our working team. It is important at this stage to point out that points expressed throughout this blog are my opinion – it is, never have been and never will be my intention to libel any particular person or to cause any offence or upset.

So what’s so important about having a dream team isn’t it just easier to get the job done yourself, therefore bypassing any problems that may arise from working within a team? Unfortunately that’s not the case, especially within the setting of Public Relations, quite simply we’re not super humans there are only a certain number of hours in a day and two pairs of hands. I find this thought that at some point throughout the project I was going to have to be reliant on other members both for their expertise and physical man power a daunting prospect. Yes I admit it I am a complete and utter control freak, assuring myself (often in the middle of the night rushing to finish a piece of work before a deadline!) that this is the best course of action to ensure the least amount of trauma to the project. Is this really healthy and more arguably sustainable? Or am I doomed to a fate of being carted off during some board meeting in years to come simply because I had finally cracked – I pray not!! “Leadership, communication and teamwork are vital factors in delivering achievement and job satisfaction, however tough the tasks may be” (Beard, 2002, p. 95)

The idea of the team and its necessary success is core to the function of public relations –how can a relationship be created and sustained if the hymn sheet upon which the message is sung from is either incomplete, lacking in copies or entirely missing. In an industry where more often than not campaigns and projects are embarked upon in a responsive rather than proactive manner, the need for team cohesion and efficiency is more important than ever. But how is this achieved and what is truly for the best. That’s where I come in; it is my hope that at the end of this I will be able to describe what my dream team is how to achieve it.