New book based on 10 years of empirical data outlines key rules to leverage the full potential of public relations for organisations
A new book published by Palgrave Macmillan in London outlines the nine commandments that define communication excellence for the best performing organisations, departments and people.
The book, Communication Excellence – How to develop, manage and lead exceptional communication, puts forward a new framework of communication excellence based upon 10 years of empirical data and the views of over 21,000 practitioners in communication across 46 countries in Europe.
The excellence thesis in the book breaks down high performance communication into three levels, the organisation, the department and then the individual. Each of these levels in the framework has a dedicated chapter – or commandment – with three commandments for each level of the framework.
Within the organisational level there are discussions of how the organisation must be connected, evidenced through being (1) globalised, (2) mediatised and (3) reflective. The department must be (4) embedded within the organisation, (5) datafied and (6) strategised. At the personal or professional level practitioners must be knowledgable and (7) sagacious, well connected or (8) linked and working within a high moral and ethical framework to be (9) solid.
Written by renowned European communication researchers Ralph Tench, Dejan Verčič, Ansgar Zerfass, Angeles Moreno and Piet Verhoeven, the book discusses the excellence framework with clear reference back to the experience of practice and practitioners in high performing organisations and departments. Case studies are used to exemplify each of the commandments from well known international brands such as Santander, Electrolux, Porsche, KMPG, DHL and more.
The book is aimed at practitioners as well as researchers in the discipline who are keen to explore and understand more about contemporary strategic communication and what factors contribute to high performance in this competitive environment.
Several leaders in communication management and scholarship have reviewed the manuscript and its content with the following comments:
“An insightful guide full of important information for those of us in or wanting to enter the communication and reputation world. A must read.”
Nicola Green, Director of Communications & Reputation, Telefónica O2 UK
“Straight forward! An insightful read for every communicator who wants to better understand what ‚professional’ actually means.”
Nicole Gorfer, Head of Internal & External Communications, Roche Group, Basel, Switzerland
“Powerful, practical and solid advice on communication management.”
Irina Arkhipova, Director Public Affairs & Communication, Coca-Cola HBC, Moscow, Russia
“This book provides a compelling case that effective communication for an organization is as much about the outside-in as the inside-out perspective.“
Maximilian Schoeberl, Executive Vice President & Director Corporate Affairs, BMW Group, Munich, Germany
“With an impressive amount of data collected over 10 years authored by internationally renowned scholars, this is a powerhouse book of inspiring frameworks, empirical insights and useful case studies that simply work.“
Xianhong Chen, Prof. Dr., President, Public Relations Society of China / Huazong University of Science and Technology, China
“This powerful, practical and highly relevant book is a must read for both communication scholars and practitioners.”
Donald K. Wright, Ph.D., Harold Burson Professor of Public Relations, College of Communication, Boston University, USA
 “Strategic communication has and continues to see its place strengthening in the eyes of CEOs, boards and top management. That is why this book on communication excellence is so valuable: it helps to understand and interpret how communications can help to contribute to organisational success, and how communication departments and professionals can leverage this potential to a full extent.”
Dr. Herbert Heitmann, President, European Association of Communication Directors (EACD), Brussels
The book is based on data from the European Communication Monitor (ECM), the largest global study of public relations and strategic communication practice. It has been conducted annually since 2007 and is complemented by bi-annual surveys in other regions (Latin America, Asia-Pacific) since 2014. The communication monitor series covers more than 80 countries altogether. It is the only continuous global research in the field which adheres to full standards of empirical research and provides transparency about its sampling procedures and respondents. A joint study by academia and practice, the ECM is organised by the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) and the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD), supported by different partners over the years.
The book is 247 pages long and is available globally with prices starting at £23.99 / €32.99 in different formats from Palgrave Macmillan or Springer https://www.palgrave.com/de/book/9783319488592 and all other book sellers.
Bibliographic information:
Tench, R., Verčič, D., Zerfass, A., Moreno, A. & Verhoeven, P.: Communication Excellence – How to Develop, Manage and Lead Exceptional Communications. London: Palgrave Macmillan. 247 pp., April 2017.
ISBN 978-3-319-48860-8 (eBook), ISBN 978-3-319-48859-2 (Paperback).
For further information contact:
Professor Ralph Tench, r.tench@leedsbeckett.ac.uk