What is it about?
In this paper, we look to the experiences of middle managers in a healthcare setting to empirically develop and explore the concept of voiced inner dialogue (VID). VID is conceptualised as a form of reflection-on-action whereby fragments of narrative self-reflection reveal an organisation’s unspoken backdrop conversation or interpersonal mush. The normalised intensity that characterises many health care settings, an artifact of increased governmentality and responsibilisation, leaves middle managers experiencing increased work and personal pressures. The interpersonal mush in this context is centred upon individuals’ felt disconnect between espoused and enacted organisational values. VID was triggered in dialogic conversation, with the researchers; a type of participant-focused reflexivity.
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Why is it important?
From our qualitative analysis, we present three themes to illuminate how organisational context can inform the creation and maintenance of interpersonal mush, impeding managers’ reflection. VID offers an opportunity for managers stuck in the silence of interpersonal mush to engage in reflection-on-action. We conclude with the implications for reflection, reflexivity and management learning.
Perspectives
Time-starved, pressured environments such as those in health and social services provide little opportunity for important middle managers to remain mindful while responding to often critical situations. This not only has the potential to undermine effective decision-making-in-action but also to increase work-related stress, further undermining effective responsiveness in critical situations that call for clarity-in-action. The results impact the health of individuals and overall system resilience.
Dr Judith A Holton
Mount Allison University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Voiced inner dialogue as relational reflection-on-action: The case of middle managers in health care, Management Learning, August 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1350507616629602.
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