Positive organizational results and successful communication initiatives used by exemplary middle manager communicators

Disasters such as the 1986 Challenger space shuttle explosion and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina relief efforts demonstrated the negative results of organizational communication failures. Few studies have investigated communication efforts that produced positive results. This research was designed to investigate how managers communicate across organizational layers to support effective organizational initiatives. Social constructivism and appreciative inquiry formed the theoretical framework of the research. Senior managers at a Fortune 500 company, effective middle managers, and key staff members were interviewed on the communication processes contributing to the successful deployment of a Six Sigma initiative. Data were analyzed using specialized software allowing multidimensional coding. The results showed that successful communications were heartfelt, aligned with organizational initiatives, formed as narratives, grounded in leader commitment, and supportive of the staff. These findings suggest that enhancing midlevel communication can be an important part of a successful organizational initiative. In addition, the study demonstrated that appreciative inquiry offers a viable alternative to traditional organizational problem-solving methods. Because appreciative inquiry identifies positive activities, solutions are more likely to be affirming rather than demeaning, creative rather than remedial, and rewarding rather than punitive.