Page 46 - 2024_Journal_90-3

resources (expert employees
being considered a resource)
and opportunities to observe ...trust between
lateral peers not onsite (such
as a neighboring school within communicators, regardless
a district) but the pervasive
belief is that those things are of political hierarchy...is
actually inaccessible, that paramount to communicating
cultural perception is more
impactful than the reality of effectively.
the access itself (Brown &
Starkey, 1994).
From the review of the
literature, three themes emerged: trust between communicators, collaboration as a
means to strengthen both communication and organization, and a leader’s role in
impacting a program’s culture. Review of the literature shows that trust between
communicators, regardless of political hierarchy within the organization, is
paramount to communicating effectively. Oftentimes, if the receiver does not trust
the sender’s credibility or intentions, the message sent is not received in the way the
sender intended. On the other hand, a sender’s perception of the receiver’s abilities
and intentions can also cloud the method in which the sender chooses to deliver
the information, thus potentially further obscuring the message. Collaboration and,
specifically, regular opportunities to collaborate are also vital in the growth of an
organization’s culture, and the themes of trust and collaboration often overlap. A
message may not be received as originally intended due to a lack of trust, but if there
are no regular opportunities to build that trust or correct misconstrued messages,
the distrust will be perpetuated, and the non-communicative culture within an
organization will be perpetuated.
Furthermore, review of the literature made clear how vital a role leadership plays
within these realms and the potential impact (both positive and negative) a leader’s
communication perception and style can have. If members of horizontal leadership
(such as principals at high schools within the same district) do not get ample
opportunities to collaborate and build trust between and among like-minded peers,
their practice is informed by this belief system within the district. This can cause a
trickle-down effect and lead to a lack of communication, trust, and leadership within
their own organizations. However, if members of horizontal leadership do have a
culture of trust and communication, this can have a positive trickle-down effect on
the individual organizations and lead to increased employee satisfaction and morale.

Trust Between Communicators
Throughout the literature, an element essential to cultural, communicative
growth became apparent—trust between communicators. Hoy and Miskel (1982)
contended that
The effectiveness of a message depends in part on the level of credibility that
the receiver attributes to the sender. Source, or sender, credibility consists
of the trust and confidence that the receiver has in the words and actions of
the communicator. The level of credibility, in turn, influences the reactions
of the receiver to the words and actions of the sender. In some cases, the
identity and reputation of the source, far from authenticating the message,

44 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin: International Journal for Professional Educators