Toward the Theory of Relationship Management in Public Relations: How to Cultivate Quality Relationships?

In this chapter, I intend to articulate the theory of relationship management with the focus on relationship cultivation strategies. I consider that the application of different cultivation strategies is affected by different factors inside and outside an organization. As a result, I have adopted the dialectical perspective to explain the phenomenon. In doing so, I first examine the current studies on organization-public relationships and provide a new perspective on relationship management, which encompasses relationship antecedents, relationship types, relationship cultivation strategies, and relationship outcomes. I then demonstrate the current research on the factors affecting the choice of relationship cultivation strategies and the influence that the cultivation strategies have on relationship outcomes.