Social workers, particularly those involved in community development, have the skills, knowledge and experience to create grassroots and community support for causes. That's what the biotech industry needs, people who understand oppression and how to overcome it. The biotech industry needs social workers. Community development social workers empower individuals and groups to overcome their oppression. For industries, such as biotech, and professions, such as public relations, empowerment is a foreign and even dangerous concept.
Empowerment gives others the autonomy and confidence to act independently.
PR folks have difficulty grasping this concept because it means giving others the authority to speak out on an issue autonomously and independently. The idea of a centralized, standardized, and approved message is gone. The idea that the corporate bureaucracy or trade association must control the communications process is gone. The idea that business communicators have the keys to successful business communications is gone. Now, let's apply those definitions to one industry, the agricultural biotech industry.