Using interactive management research in the organizational communication classroom

ABSTRACT

This classroom assessment article shares the findings of a practicum-based undergraduate organizational communication course using interactive management research (IMR). IMR is a participatory action research methodology that fosters group design thinking to envision perceived pathways for collectively organizing to address a social issue. The methodology was used with undergraduate students to teach communication as constitutive of organizations and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. According to the perceptions of students, inclusive organizing begins with inclusive policies and informed leadership to promote a receptive organizational climate where students, faculty, and staff can make microlevel commitments. This perceived top-down flow of organizing presents pedagogical, theoretical, and practical implications for communication teachers when teaching organizational communication and DEI to their students. Finally, methodological implications are presented for future teachers that wish to implement IMR as part of a practicum-based undergraduate course.

Notes

1 I taught this course for 23 students at a small private liberal arts school in the Midwest, who consented to take part in the study portion of the practicum-based course. Readers can learn more about the students’ demographic information in Table 1.

2 This focus was important, given the methodological needs for IMR and crafting a problem statement. I share more about this later in the methodology section.

3 John Warfield (1976) created the ISM software, which is accessible at https://www.jnwarfield.com/ism-software.html. The open access software program only works on Microsoft Windows and is free to users. For an instructional video on how to use the ISM software, please watch this video from Dr. Michael Hogan, Director of the Collective Intelligence Network Support Unit and professor of psychology at the University of Ireland at Galway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm2j6fzIffA&t=4s.

4 ISM uses an algorithm that works through 210 cells in a 15×15 matrix (n* n–1). Due to the inferential design of the algorithm, the software completed 70%–80% of the 210 cells based on students’ previous answers. As such, each section (i.e. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) consisted of approximately 40–60 questions and averaged 98 minutes to complete the full structuring process.

5 I taught this course in the fall of 2020 when the college pivoted to hybrid classes. I designed the class to have a third of the class join on Monday, a third on Wednesday, and a third on Friday. Although the class was originally designed to be in person, the college enacted a delayed start, meaning all three sections were remote for the first five weeks of class. It was during this remote time that I facilitated ISM via Teams.

6 When not joining class via Teams, the other “sections” of class would do asynchronous work (i.e. readings, quizzes, reading reaction essays, watching videos, reaching out via email with questions).

7 It is important to keep in mind that the flowchart merely represents how students perceive the relationship among factors. It is possible that a completely separate group would create a distinct flowchart.