Paradigms, perspectives and practice of public relations and communication: implication for 'disciplined imagination' in South African scholarship
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Date
2015
Authors
Verwey, Sonja
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Department of Communication Science, University of the Free State
Abstract
Increasing technological complexity and globalisation have resulted in fundamental
societal and business changes that require scholars and practitioners to challenge
their own assumptions, and come to grips with the implications of paradigm shifts in
various fields. The tensions that arise as a result of these changes dictate a need for
the communication professional to transcend the boundaries of their own values and
thought frameworks in order to create direction, alignment, and commitment across
boundaries in service of a higher vision or goal. This article explores the nature of
these paradigm shifts, and considers what implications tensions in the field hold for
public relations and communication scholarship in general, but also specifically
for the South African field of scholarship and practice. South African scholars are
urged to rediscover the “disciplined imagination” proposed by Weick (1989) if they
are to transcend disciplinary boundaries and move towards a more meaningful
contribution in the cooperative search for solutions to complex problems.
Description
Keywords
Boundary spanning, Paradigm shifts, Multi-paradigms, Paradigmatic debates, Functionalism, Research, Practice, SA Public Relations and Communication scholarship
Citation
Verwey, S. (2015). Paradigms, perspectives and practice of public relations and communication: implication for 'disciplined imagination' in South African scholarship. Communitas, 20, 1-25.