Autonomy-Dependency Paradox in Organization-Public Relationships: A Case Study Analysis of a University Art Museum

AUTONOMY-DEPENDENCY PARADOX IN ORGANIZATION-PUBLIC RELATIONSHIPS: A CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF A UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM Christopher Erik Wilson Department of Communications Master of Arts This study presents an exploration of the autonomy-dependence paradox inherent in organization-public relationships that is informed by paradox theory, structuration theory and scholarly and philosophical literature on authenticity. These theories suggest that relationships between organizations and their publics are defined by interdependence, or the centripetal and centrifugal forces of autonomy and dependence that cause tensions that can influence the decision making of the relational partners. They also suggest that organizations must use their agency, their knowledge of relational structures, and their understanding of their authentic selves to manage their own behavior and communication rather than that of their publics. The case studies presented in this paper were assembled from fourteen semi-structured in-depth interviews of museum professionals at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art, museum archival documents, and news media reports. The data shows that organizations can benefit from adopting a framework based paradox theory, structuration theory, and authentic leadership theory to avoid harmful defensive mechanisms and vicious cycles by seeking divergent solutions. The value of this study is that it illustrates how paradoxical tensions can influence the decision-making process in organizations, as well as the ways in which organizations can manage their own behavior and communication in spite of natural tendencies to manage and control stakeholders and publics. This study also shows a need for future research to explore other paradoxes in the field of public relations, conduct more case studies of different types of organizations, and develop methodologies to evaluate the effect of these strategies on the health of organization-public relationships. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have always been scared of anything that requires a thesis. The word conjures images in my mind of endless reams of paper, towering stacks of books, stern university professors eerily hovering above me, taunting me with unanswerable questions, and years of my life slipping away irretrievably into oblivion. You may think this sounds melodramatic. But, having completed this thesis, I am here to tell you that I did go through many reams of paper. I read through what seemed like towering stacks of books and journal articles. I spent many hours gathering and analyzing data, as well as writing and editing. Looking back, the time now seems like a blur. And I defended my enormous research paper to a committee of three professors. Luckily they were not hovering above me. And even luckier for me, they did not ask me unanswerable questions. They were actually really nice and complimentary. The thesis always seemed to me like an impassable mountain, looming in the distance. Now that I have finished, as weird as it sounds, it still feels like an impassable mountain. But somehow I am leaving it behind with no knowledge or recollection of how I crossed over. The one thing I do know is that I would not have been able to make it without the support of my family, the guidance of the professors on my committee, and the cooperation of the BYU Museum of Art staff. I also know that the Lord played a big part as well. As the Apostle Paul declared to the Phillipians, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phillipians 4:13, King James Version). TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION 1 Scope of the Study 6 Purpose Statement 6 CHAPTER 2LITERATURE REVIEW 8 The Paradoxical Frame 8 Managing Paradox 11 Paradox in Organization-Public Relationships 13 Paradox and Social Exchange 15 Paradox and Resource Dependence 17 Autonomy-Dependency Paradox and Relationship Management 18 Transcending the Autonomy-Dependency Paradox 22 Structuration and Paradox 22 Functionalist Paradigm 23 Interpretivist Perspective 26 Structuration and Transcendence 28 Authenticity and Paradox 33 Decline of Sincerity and Rise of Authenticity 34 Definitions of Authenticity 37 Art Museums and the Autonomy Dependency Paradox 40 Research Propositions 46 Research Questions 47 CHAPTER 3METHODOLOGY 49