The Institute for Public Relations has appointed Gary Grates as directory of its Organizational Communications Research Center, established in 2013.

Gary GratesGary Grates

The W2O Group principal is a frequent lecturer and has published more than 200 articles and white papers on the strategic importance of communications in achieving business success.

Grates is an IPR board member and is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society and co-director of the Syracuse University Newhouse School/W2O Group Center for Social Commerce.  He also established and led Edelman’s Change and employee engagement unit and served as VP-corporate communications/North America at General Motors.

In 2016, Grates spearheaded the IPR’s signature research study on organizational clarity, which focused on failure of organizations to provide a clear “line-of- sight” to employees. 

“The Organizational Communications Resource Center is the profession’s premier information source on the latest in trends, insights and methods regarding organizational (internal) communications globally,” said Grates. “It is used daily by professionals, executives, academics, students and media to grasp the increasing importance of workforce engagement to addressing business and societal needs.  Quite frankly, you can’t operate without it.”

IPR research is available at www.instituteforpr.org.