Organization-Public Dialogue in Canadian Oil and Gas Industry

Dr. Ran Ju, Department of Public Relations, Mount Royal University Emily Conley, Department of Public Relations, Mount Royal University Leah Pottinger, Department of Public Relations, Mount Royal University Explore the Application of Organization-public Dialogue as a Public Relations Strategy for the Oil and Gas Industry in Canada* *This project is supported by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Explore Grant 2020 (No.102342)

Abstract

Background Organization-public dialogue (OPD), defined as an ethical communication between an organization and its public that emphasizes mutual understanding, respect, and acceptance (Chen et al., 2020, Kent & Taylor, 2002), has become one of the major areas in PR research and practices (Ao & Huang, 2020). As a controversial sector, the oil and gas industry in Canada serves as a unique context to revisit and develop the theory and practice of dialogue for two reasons: 1.Canadian society is highly community-based, and a significant focus of PR efforts in Canada is on community relationships (Likely, 2009). Thus, it provides the ideal environment for developing dialogical communication between organizations and the public, compared to marketing-orientated environments such as PR in the U.S. (Kelleher & Males, 2020). 2. Although the oil and gas industry is a pillar industry in Canada, contributing many job opportunities and economic benefits (Government of Canada, 2020), it faces much controversy and contention due to its disturbance of the natural environment and the consequential repercussions (Rand, 2014) and dialogic communication can help this industry to mitigate this problem.

Dialogue In the field of public relations, the concept of dialogue/dialogical communication was introduced by Grunig and Hunt (1984) that in two-way symmetric communication, an organization is in dialogue with publics. The concept was further popularized by Pearson (1989) as an ethical process of communication to maintain relationships between organizations and publics. Kent and Taylor (1998) described dialogue as a particular type of relational interaction (p.323) and suggested five features of dialogue (Kent & Taylor, 2002): 1. Mutuality: Recognition of organization-public relationships 2. Propinquity: Temporality and spontaneity of interactions with publics 3. Empathy: Supportiveness and confirmation of public goals and interests 4. Risk: Willingness to interact with individuals and publics on their terms 5. Commitment: the extent to which an organization gives itself over to dialogue, interpretation, and understanding in its interactions with publics.

Research Questions Research Questions How did oil and gas companies use dialogue in their daily PR practices? In what way did their practices meet the features of dialogue? In what way can oil and gas companies improve their dialogical PR practices to improve the relationships with stakeholders?

Method: In-depth Semi-structured Interview Participants and Interviews: 21 practitioners working in oil and gas companies in Canada holding various communication-related positions (entry-level, advisory, mid-manager, senior and executive). On average, participants had 12 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and had held the current position for 2.5 years. Interviews lasted 40-60 minutes and were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data analysis: The coding process included open coding, axial coding, and selective coding (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Through the on-going coding process, we developed preliminary themes from the data (Salda a, 2013) to answer research questions.

Results: RQ1 How did oil and gas companies use dialogue in their daily PR practices? Major Stakeholders Codes Codes Media Types Customers Employees Landowners Suppliers and Contractors Investors Communities of operation General Public Social media Website Print/TV Email In-person events (i.e., site visit, townhall meetings) Virtual meetings/events Over the phone Reporting with direct feedback ESG/CSR reporting Teaching energy literacy Intranet Executives Appointed committees Owned Earned Paid shared

Results: RQ2 In what way did their practices meet the features of dialogue? Based on the data we collected, we made judgement about if the five features were met, and we used some quotes from the participants to illustrate. Mutuality: met [It is important to] have a conversation directly and gather feedback from the source and from even a representative of the community. In order to do that, it's really about engagement. It's about that kind of personal opportunity to allow people to air their views and engage in dialogue that leads to better understanding. Propinquity: met I would definitely say that with with COVID it was a huge shift, because in person, it's easier to tell what people's emotions are and how they're feeling about the characters that they're presenting. I've noticed is that we needed to be more deliberate in our communication and ensure that we understand the emotion and how people are feeling prior to sending out any communication so that we are aligned with people. That's one big thing that has definitely been impacted by COVID is just being more thoughtful in our communication, wording, language strategy, timing and the medium we use.

Results: RQ2 In what way did their practices meet the features of dialogue? Empathy: met First and foremost, ESG (environmental, social and governance) is at the forefront of every energy conversation right now, as it should be. We have the responsibility to reduce our emissions we want to leave a healthier planet for those after us. Socially, we have our Community Investment, Indigenous Relations, community, landowner and recreational group relationships. With the governance standpoint we have gender equality, as we have a goal to have 40 per cent women in the workplace by 2030 is. Those kind of changes you need to have. Risk: not met [O&G companies] had made the strategic decision not to go into social media until very late in the game because they wanted to stay quiet. There is also an overhead cost. You can't have a PR firm, taking care of your day to day social media it's just not going to resonate it won't be authentic and transparent. However, the world wanted [O&G companies] on social media. There's too many companies that don't play the social media world now. Commitment: semi-met I know [my company] in the past has been very reluctant to have those open and transparent conversations. Now moving forward, especially with new leadership. that's definitely our main focus moving forward and having those really transparent conversations. That has been huge with aligning with public relations because when you think of public relations you, you tend to gravitate towards developing relationships right and developing important conversations and transparency and moving forward.

Results: RQ 3 In what way can oil and gas companies improve their dialogical PR practices to improve the relationships with stakeholders? Common Key Words: Vulnerability Transparency Authenticity Further research Commitment Trustworthiness Openness Continuity

Practical Implications Transparency: live by your values as an organization to openly align all messaging with the business strategy Authenticity: being true to the organizations mission in all messaging as a means of reputation management Vulnerability: create emotionally driven dialogue that the public can relate to via owned media; such as the website and social media channels Further Research: to understand how the organization is viewed and the important stakeholders trying to be reached. Can be achieved through reputational studies

Practical Implications Continued Trustworthiness: own the organization s narrative, even if it isn t a legal requirement. This will build trust and aid in avoiding misinformation Commitment: to constant tailored communication with important stakeholders. With an emphasis on internal messaging to enhance employee advocacy Continuity: creating processes to establishing a unified voice and dialogue Openness: share the oil and gas story to educate the public and improve transparency by using social media channels available to the organization

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