Prof Jim Macnamara leads a study in capabilities and competence

The importance of understanding what capabilities will most important for the future of public relations and communication management is one of the aims of the project Global Capabilities in Public Relations and Communication Management. However, this topic is also being studied by other academics such as Professor Jim Macnamara.

Jim Macnamara joined UTS as Professor of Public Communication in 2007 after a distinguished 30-year career working in professional communication practice spanning journalism, public relations, advertising and media research. He presented the paper “Capabilities and Competencies for Public Sector Communication: An Australian Government study” in the preconference “Building a Global Capability Framework for Public Relations” held the past 25th of May in Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel. This preconference was organized by the research team of the project Global Capabilities in Public Relations and Communication Management.

Professor Macnamara aims to answer the research questions: what knowledge, skills, abilities, competencies and capabilities will be most important for public sector communicators in the future? And which is more important or relevant – knowledge, skills, abilities, competencies, or capabilities? To do so, he reports findings of a 2017 research project to inform development of a capabilities framework for communication staff employed by the state government of New South Wales (NSW), Australia’s largest state of which Sydney is the capital and the home of most state government departments and agencies and a large proportion of their employees engaged in public communication.

The methodology used in this study involved: (1) A three-phase global literature review as outlined below; (2) collaboration with researchers at the University of Huddersfield in the UK, who were simultaneously conducting a major capabilities study for the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management and (3) an extensive synthesizing of data and customization to inform a capabilities framework for communication professionals employed by the NSW Government.

The Australian study confirmed the importance of capabilities as an overarching and holistic concept that encompasses competencies as well as knowledge, skills, and abilities, and which is extremely relevant in “the age of disruptive communication”. Capabilities extend beyond specific knowledge, skills, and abilities and competencies in relation to particular roles to include a capacity for and commitment to ongoing learning and adaptability. Many of the roles that exist today will not exist in 10 years – conversely, many of the roles required in the future do not exist today.

In addition, from the multiple data sets examined, the study has identified a group of capabilities that are essential for public sector communication professionals looking forward. While identifying some additional responsibilities and requirements for civil servants, particularly those working for government in democratic countries, the findings of this study support many of the findings of the Global Alliance study, thus identifying a consistent set of capabilities that are important for communication professionals in future.