Check out these two reports, recently launched by the Institute for PR.

2019 IPR Future of Work Report
Melissa Dodd, Ph.D., University of Central Florida

The report investigates the future of work and the impact of several factors on the changing nature of work, including a rapidly and continuously shifting technological landscape, the growth of globalization, and the juxtaposition of new and tenured members of the workforce. While some technological innovations have already made a significant impact on organizations, the future of work is more than just artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. The intent of this project was to investigate the three interlinked dimensions of an organization: the work (the what), the workforce (the who), and the workplace (the where). Each offers unique challenges and opportunities for organizational (internal) communication.

Some key insights:

  • The pace of change is more significant than the change itself
  • Internal communication resources are lagging behind
  • The contract economy will continue to grow, altering communications functions
  • The growing generational divide in the workforce offers challenges and opportunities
  • The most important element is the human element
  • A new work model includes agility, assimilation, development, connectedness
Download
full report / infographic
What You Need to Know About Incorporating Behavioural Science into Public Relations: A Primer
Tim Li and Terry Flynn, McMaster University, IPR Behavioral Insights Research Center

This report helps organizations deliver more research-based, theoretical insights driven by behavioral science. Behavioural science aims to understand human behaviour and decision-making. It encompasses disciplines examining the psychological underpinnings of behaviour, such as cognition, neuroscience and social psychology, and how they intersect with fields involving behaviour, like economics, politics, and communication. Many of the strategies from behavioural insights are already part of the public relations repertoire. However, the behavioural sciences now provide the empirical evidence and frameworks for understanding why they work. This critical thinking approach can help public relations evaluate assumptions and become more effective in this ever-changing business environment.

This primer includes:

  • What is Behavioral Science?
  • Behavioural Economics and Nudges
  • Behavioural Insights and Public Relations
  • The Ethics of Behavioural Insights
  • Comparisons for Data Science
Download
full primer