Internal Communication and Organizational Culture: A K–12 District Office Phenomenological Study

This phenomenological study utilized motivating language theory to explore the experiences that K–12 district office staff had with internal communication. The purpose of the study was to find how these experiences impacted an employee’s feelings of safety, value, and positive emotions in the workplace. The lens of motivating language allowed for a view of how empathetic language, meaning-making language, and direction-giving language shaped experiences for employees. Communication is an integral part of the culture of an organization; yet it is often overlooked as an influencing factor in job satisfaction and well-being. In fact, poor internal communication can lead to negativity that can spread throughout an organization. K–12 school districts have an inherent purpose to provide quality education for students, and the culture that is present at the district office level can set the tone for a school district. The researcher explored K–12 district office staff experiences through semistructured interviews and a focus group. Interview and focus group data were analyzed using a holistic approach to explore the full experiences and allow the phenomena to present themselves. Through the qualitative coding process, four themes arose that reflected back to the lens of motivating language and the research questions. The implications of this study provide relevant information for leaders about the impacts of their communication methods and how they impact employees. K–12 district leaders can utilize strategic aspects of communication to create a positive culture and promote wellbeing for employees as they find clarity and purpose in their work. The design of this study provides a framework for future research in other school districts and organizations. Keywords: organizational culture, internal communication, communication climate, organizational communication