PUBLIC RELATIONS
Why Organizations Must Integrate PR With Strategic Intelligence
By Irene Mbonge
Different agents use the term universe 4.0 to capture the idea of a fourth industrial revolution . In their accounts , universe 4.0 , by enabling a new era of unprecedented transformations , transcends conventional accounts of the impact of the introduction of largescale information and communication technologies .
This notion of 4.0 refers to the current environment in which disruptive technologies and trends , such as new computational capabilities , artificial intelligence , the Internet of Things ( IoT ), advanced materials or neurotechnologies , are already driving transformative changes in the way we live , work or relate to one another .
While I reject any simplistic technological determinism account , I consider that this disruptive notion of 4.0 has catalyzing effects on organizations who have little option , if they are to remain viable , other than to integrate these technologies into a new generation of more efficient , agile and sustainable management systems .
However , this notion of 4.0 is not without controversy and it aligns us with another account of an increasingly complex , uncertain and changing context . Indeed , there is a growing consensus that global challenges are changing how all kinds of organizations interact with their environment , and the result is an increasing requirement for anticipation , influence and intelligence to guarantee survival . Under these circumstances , relational management becomes a key success factor even in conditions that are sometimes characterized as if people did not matter , for the data economy , public relations has a significant role to play .
In the context of 4.0 , disruption leads to the emergence of new ideas and requires public relations professionals to innovate in order to adapt to global challenges . In my view , the challenge for public relations is complex and impossible to ignore , leading to in-depth discussions , due to both theoretical and normative implications .
In the context of this fourth technological revolution , public relations , with the emergence of unprecedented new ways of human interaction with technical means that the moral blindness produced by big data and automation raises the question of the disjunction between technology and humanities , between an economy of intelligent machines and an economy based on cognition and human creativity .
“ While I reject any simplistic technological determinism account , I consider that this disruptive notion of 4.0 has catalyzing effects on organizations who have little option , if they are to remain viable , other than to integrate these technologies into a new generation of more efficient , agile and sustainable management systems .”
The consequence is the imperative need for public relations professionals to become aware of the hybrid nature of universe 4.0 , in which human potential can be maximized by technology , while bearing in mind that technologies are created themselves by human beings .
These informational challenges arise in the midst of the era of Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) and cognitive technologies under the term ‘ Analytics 4.0 ’. They require profound analytical skills of organizational culture , combining internal and external analysis methodologies , organizational resources and , above all , individual staff competences , who understand the distinction : “ all AI tools use technology but not all tech is AI ”
Numerous studies on the digital economy have focused on understanding the implications of this Universe 4.0 . They have addressed multiple aspects such as : competences ; governance challenges and good practices , and the legal challenges that arise as well as others related to the impact on domains such as technological surveillance , artificial intelligence or public relations 4.0 in particular .
While it seems undeniable that universe 4.0 offers a space to develop industrial competitiveness , the processes to achieve this progress has sparked controversies and criticism , making it necessary to engage in an in-depth reflection .
Ever since globalization and digital technologies emerged , public relations has been undergoing a constant process of reconfiguration ; expanding its multifaceted nature
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