Manajemen Public Relations Pondok Pesantren Salafiyah: Studi Multi Situs di Pondok Pesantren Salafiyah Lirboyo Kediri dan Sidogiri Pasuruan

ABSTRAK

Pondok pesantren merupakan pendidikan asli (indegenious) di Indonesia, yang bersifat unik karena menampilkan watak yang khas dan eksotik, memiliki keunggulan, baik dalam tradisi keilmuannya yang dinilai sebagai salah satu tradisi yang agung (great tradition) maupun sebagai transmisi dan internalisasi moralitas. Sedangkan di sisi lain, pesantren juga merupakan pendidikan yang dapat memainkan peran pemberdayaan (empowerment) dan transformasi sosial (civil transformation) secara efektif. Di Indonesia, pesantren sebagai tempat pendidikan agama, mampu bertahan hidup di tengah-tengah masyarakat, karena adanya jalinan hubungan yang harmonis antara pesantren dengan masyarakatnya dan keberadaannya menyatu dengan masyarakat. Ketahanan pesantren ini menunjukkan bahwa terdapat hubungan komunikasi yang baik dan saling menguntungkan antara pesantren dengan masyarakat. Hal ini menunjukkan adanya fungsi public relations yang telah berjalan di pondok pesantren. Fokus penelitian ini adalah: 1. Bagaimana keberadaan public relations di pondok pesantren salafiyah?; 2. Bagaimana sistem komunikasi yang dijalankan di pondok pesantren salafiyah?; 3. Bagaimana proses membangun citra pondok pesantren salafiyah; 4. Bagaimana proses public relations di pondok pesantren salafiyah.

Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan fenomenologik naturalistik (phenomenological approach) yang bermakna memahami peristiwa dalam kaitannya dengan orang dalam situasi tertentu, dengan rancangan penelitian studi multi situs (multy-site studies). Lokasi penelitian ditentukan secara purposive, yaitu pondok pesantren salafiyah Lirboyo Kediri dan Sidogiri Pasuruan. Teknik pengambilan data menggunakan wawancara mendalam, observasi partisipan dan studi dokumentasi. Analisis data meliputi analisis data situs tunggal dan lintas situs, dengan teknik analisis data: reduksi data, penyajian data dan penarikan kesimpulan.

Adapun hasil penelitian: pertama, keberadaan public relations di ponpes salafiyah Lirboyo Kediri dan Sidogiri Pasuruan secara formal tidak ditemukan namun secara fungsional dijalankan oleh seluruh elemen pondok pesantren. Keberadaannya bersifat terselubung atau tersembunyi, yaitu tersembunyi di setiap seksi atau bidang dalam struktur organisasi ponpes salafiyah.

Kedua, komunikasi yang dijalankan di ponpes salafiyah Lirboyo dan Sidogiri meliputi: komunikasi internal dengan sistem komunikasi berlapis dengan menjunjung tinggi retorika dan konteks situasi; komunikasi eksternal dengan sistem public informations menuju ke two way asymmetric, yaitu: kiai dan pondok pesantren yang berfungsi mengendalikan informasi kepada publik melalui pesan persuasif: figur kharisma kiai--personal branding, show force event religi, simbol dan perilaku, media dan khidmah di masyarakat--by action. Dalam komunikasi eksternal, terdapat hal yang membedakan antara ponpes salafiyah Lirboyo dan Sidogiri, yaitu di ponpes salafiyah Sidogiri ditemukan lebih aktif dan produktif jika dibandingkan dengan ponpes salafiyah Lirboyo, sehingga ditemukan reading- writing culture, bukan sekadar reading-speaking culture.

Ketiga, proses membangun citra di kedua ponpes salafiyah diperoleh melalui pengabdian di masyarakat (by action) dan informasi secara lesan. Secara terperinci proses membangun citra diawali oleh citra sejarah tokoh pendirinya, figur kiai (personal branding), branding santri, peran alumni dan kuatnya jaringan antar alumni. Terdapat dua network dalam rangka membangun citra, yaitu personal network, yang didominasi alumni melalui by perfome dan word of mouth serta quality product network, yaitu santri dan alumni ponpes berkiprah di masyarakat.

Keempat, Proses public relations pondok pesantren salafiyah adalah integrated, maksudnya proses public relations di ponpes dijalankan mulai dari how to integrate, how to inform, how to perfome, how to persuade, baru kembali lagi ke how to integrate. Cara public relations seperti ini bersifat circle sehingga ter-integrated. Dari temuan tersebut di atas, maka peneliti menarik kesimpulan bahwa manajemen public relations di pondok pesantren salafiyah adalah natural, personal influence, integrated.

ABSTRACT

Pesantren constitutes the Indonesian indegenious education which is very unique since it reflects a distinctive and exotic character of education. Besides, it also has a competetiveness in term of its scientific tradition which is considered as one of the Indonesian great tradition as well as its central role in transferring and internalizing the Islamic morality and values among the Indonesian society. In other words, pesantren has taken the effective role in empowering the society and transforming the noble sosial and relegius values. In Indonesia, pesantrens as the Islamic education institution, are able to exist until today and adapt to the fast changing trend of the society because it has been successful in promoting a harmonous and mutual relationship with the surrounding society. Surely, as a matter of fact, it shows that a good and functional public relations works well in the pesantrens. The research focus of this study is (1) how is the existance of public relations in the Indonesian Salafiyah Pesantrens?, (2) how is the communication system applied in the Indonesian Salafiyah Pesantrens?, (3) how do the Indonesian Salafiyah Pesantrens build their image?, and (4) how is public relations performed at the Indonesian Salafiyah Pesantrens?.

This study employs a qualitative research method using phenomenological approach with a multi-sites design. This approach is chosen since it is intended to describe and understand the phenomena related to an event, person, and a situation. The location of this reseach is selected purposively. This study is conducted at Pesantren Salafiyah Lirboyo Kediri and Sidogiri Pasuruan, East Java. The data collecting techniques used are deep interview, observation of the participant, and documentation. The data analysis involves single site data analysis and intersite data analysis. The procedures of the data analysis are data reduction, data presentation, dan drawing conclusion.

The findings of the research is presented as the following. First, the existance of the public relations division in Pondok Pesantren Salafiyah Lirboyo Kediri and Sidogiri Pasuruan, East Java structurally and formally is not found, but the public relations is functionally conducted by all components of the Pondok Pesantren. In other word, the existance of the public relations is hidden or embedded in each division or its structure of the Pondok Pesantren.

Second, the communication strategy carried out at Pondok Pesantren Salafiyah Lirboyo Kediri and Sidogiri Pasuruan, East Java involves internal communication which serves the rethorics and context of situation, and external communcation using public information and than two way asymmetric. In this strategy, the Kiais and Pondok Pesantren take function to control the information adressed to the public through persuasive messages such as the charismatic figure of the Kiais, the showforce of the religious events, symbols and behaviors, mass media, and the society services. In conducting the external communication, there is a difference finding between Pesantren Salafiyah Lirboyo Kediri and Sidogiri Pasuruan, East Java. Pesantren Sidogiri Pasuruan, East Java turns out to be more active and productive, so that in this Pesantren reading-writing culture can be promoted well.

Third, the process of image building in those Pondok Pesantrens is done and resulted from its consistency to serve the society and the positive image is then spread out from person to person. In detail, the process of image building is initiated from the image of the founding fathers of the Pesantrens (the corporate image), the personality of the Kiais (personal branding), the personality of the santris and alumnis, the role and the strong network of the alumnis in the society. There are two networks developed for the image building, first, personal network and second, the quality product network which is shown by the roles of the santris and the alumnis in the society.

Fourth, the process of public relations in those Salafiyah Pesantrens is performed integratedly. It means that the process of public relations is cyclic, which finally forms an integrated relationship between each step. The process is started from how to integrate, then how to inform, continued to how to perfom, then how to persuade, and finally goes back to the first cycle, how to integrate. From the findings presented above, finally it can be concluded that the management of the public relations conducted at the Indonesian Salafiyah Pesantrens is natural, personally influenced, and integrated.