Power of Positive Words: A Strategic Communication Perspective

"Noblest is the Justest" - Aristotle

A Small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history – Mahatma Gandhi

Link to the full article: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-05-2018-0140 or https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330685284_Power_of_positive (This article won the Best Paper Award of Journal of Organizational Change Management)

In the beginning was the “word” professes scriptures. Words have laid the foundation for all thought systems across the world. Words charged with utmost meaning turn into a literary work that can stand the test of time. Words manifest in many forms – axioms, parables, metaphors, stories, and hymns – and form the basis of our culture, organizations and socio-economic-political systems. Religions have spread and political institutions are built with the stories and fables of mystical legends and deeds. Words not only connote the objective phenomena that determine our lives but also assist in the creation and enactment of the novel, imaginative or subjective ideals that shape our lives and provide meaning to our existence. In fact, the very purpose and meaning of human existence are often governed by words and the subjective worlds that we construct with words. Words constitute the cognitive capacity – an important trait of biological order – which differentiates humans as superior and sentient in comparison to other lives on the planet. Consistent positive communications shape thoughts, behaviors and help transform individuals and organizations, and are known to greatly foster progress, change, and success.

The function of words in organizations and markets

Words expand the cognitive and physical spheres of human activity, and can induce the needs and desires, and thus drive us to seek, design, or pursue the products, services or lifestyles. Take, for instance, the subject of “affinity” – we have an abundant number of words to express this primary dimension of human relationship: love, compassion, affection, kindness, kinship, friendship, motherhood, brotherhood, fraternity, partnership, companionship, and compatriotship; each word, however, takes on a new dimension bestowing the foundation for a variety of ideals, values, and forms of associations. Several classical and modern philosophical works have reflected upon how words can help us imagine and create a world of new institutions and phenomena – be they are subjective or objective – that give us meaning and happiness.

Similarly, organizational scholars have traced how expressive communications play a central role in the creation, diffusion, and change of institutions that govern collective thoughts, intentions, and behaviors (Berger and Luckmann, 1966; Searle, 1995). Seen in this light, words have the potential to create quite distinct thought worlds and organizational systems and thus can expand our cultural sphere. Words play a significant role in the creation and sustenance of organizations and markets. Positive words carry the enormous motive force and stimulate sublime emotions. Positive words in the form of metaphors and axioms can help create a shared mindset, articulate the mission and vision, and channel the energy of all members toward the common goals and objectives.

Figurative and metaphorical communication can be of great help in conceptualizing the?abstract and vibrant changes emerging in the marketplace. Markets are quite dynamic with?a constant rendering of complex market segments, novel product configurations, and?uncommon patterns of consumer behaviors. Through the right metaphors, managers can?provide the contextual verbalization required to capture the complex configurations or?emergent outliers. As dynamic industry and market changes are often unobserved or?overlooked, communication charged with provocative axioms and metaphors can play a?critical role in sensitizing the managerial cognition so that the emergent social phenomena?can be effectively captured for managerial analysis and decision making (Muthusamy, 2008;?Newberg and Waldman, 2012; Simon, 1993; Weick et al., 2005).

A metaphor is the use of figurative language in communication. For instance, the simple metaphors like “Life is a dance,” “Life is a magic” or “Life is an adventure” can stimulate “aesthetic keenness,” “seeking wonder” or “inclination toward risk-taking,” respectively. Similarly, positive axioms or sayings can create a magnified emphasis or embellishment effect; like “this idea could revolutionize everything” or “IPod reinvented an entire industry." Positive metaphors or axioms have been found to be more effective in managerial communication for describing innovations in the absence of concrete quantitative data to capture the emergent phenomena. Positive words of wisdom shared in the course of leading, motivating, or rewarding can add substantial value to the performance rewards be it extrinsic or intrinsic, and can boost the inspiration and motivational drive of employees.

Stories of sacrifice or cooperation toward a greater cause can enlighten the stakeholders, and facilitate the cohesiveness and commitment required for achieving organizational synergy. Most coveted organizational factors which are considered the pillars of success including trust, integrity, vision, and commitment are often a sheer enactment of positive words of wisdom. Figurative and metaphorical communication can be of great help in conceptualizing the abstract and vibrant changes emerging in the market-place. Markets are quite dynamic with a constant rendering of complex market segments, novel product configurations, and uncommon patterns of consumer behaviors. Through the right metaphors, managers can provide contextual verbalization required to capture the complex configurations or emergent outliers. As dynamic industry and market changes are often unobserved or overlooked, communication charged with provocative axioms and metaphors can play a critical role in sensitizing the managerial cognition so that the emergent social phenomena can be effectively captured for managerial analysis and decision making (Muthusamy, 2008; Simon, 1993; Weick et al., 2005).

Managers and innovation champions leading the organizational change efforts often do not fully appreciate the merits and consequences of positive communication routines at the planning meetings. Articulating the organizational change mission through positive stories and metaphors can induce the visceral emotions of the employees. Lacking emotional involvement, managers will find it impossible to gain the consensus to rally the entire organization toward transformation.

The South Korean firm Samsung’s transformation journey “from a sluggish domestic company churning out vast quantities of cheap products to a world’s leading most innovative global brand in state of art technology products” began two decades ago in a planning session among the senior managers when its former Chairman Lee Kunhee pronounced a striking phrase “Change everything except your wife and children.” This axiom turned into a most powerful transformational slogan metaphorically capturing the essence of changing all the systems, practices, and products without compromising on the core values. Samsung’s internal documents and industry reports attest that from that day on, Samsung started its ascent from a second-tier manufacturer to a world’s topmost TV and smartphone maker (Song and Lee, 2014). The transformation that had begun at Samsung from that moment onward has provided the impetus to alter the course of entire Korean business culture paving the foundation for the spawn of several successful global competitors out of Korea.

From the communication and sense-making perspectives, first, we discuss the role of?positive communication in terms of genuine, considerate expression of words, axioms, stories?or metaphors in the functioning of organizations and markets. Second, we narrate how managerial communication involving positive stories, metaphors, or axioms nurtures the?social capital necessary for organizational change by spawning the shared cognitive-linguistic?domains.

Further, we examine the empirical link between positive communication and?organizational transformation by a two-fold analysis of survey data collected from?174 management professionals who have recently undergone the organizational change?episodes such as restructuring, re-engineering, TQM adoption, or new strategy?implementation. The survey elicited responses on the extent and content of literal and?metaphorical communications echoed by the leaders/managers during the change episode,?and whether these discourses had the transforming effect on the organization in terms of?resolving conflicts, overcoming resistance to change, or implementing a new strategy.??With the content analysis of narratives containing metaphors, axioms, and stories reported by?the respondents, we unravel the underlying clusters of organizational and socio-cognitive?dimensions associated with organizational transformation and demonstrate how?transformation is manifested through considerate communication of positive words.

Link to the full article: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-05-2018-0140 or https://ssrn.com/abstract=2479746