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powerful way of strengthening
communication, as it builds trust
and, consequently, relationships. ...collaborative storytelling
He elaborated that storytelling
that recalls a positive point in a is a particulary powerful
program’s past can be utilized to
remind members or participants way of strengthening
that success is already an
integral part of an organization’s communication, as it builds

culture (2015). By extension, trust...
storytelling can also hinder
organizational growth if used to
remind participants of repeated
failures and frustrations. Use of storytelling in this way can contribute negatively to
an organization’s culture if previous attempts to communicate or collaborate were
deemed unsuccessful, thus perpetuating the notion that an organization’s culture is
not one of communication and collaboration after all. In other words, storytelling
via collaboration alone is not positively impactful; it must be used as an agent of
positive change. By using collaboration to tell organizational success stories or
histories as well, participants perpetuate a culture of positive communication and
collaboration (Calabrese, 2015).
Storytelling to collaborate is just one of many avenues that can strengthen
communication and the organization itself. Creating and utilizing professional
learning communities are also popular and successful means of collaboration, as
they create “a healthier, sustainable organization” (Calabrese, 2015, p. 216). Ni et
al. (2017) analyzed stakeholders’ perceptions and how they collectively impacted
an organization’s culture. The findings emphasized that having a high cultural value
in collaboration was one of the organization’s most successful components (Ni et
al, 2017). Additionally, when administrators delegated some responsibilities to their
employees, the administrators and employees both found more satisfaction, as the
“decision influence does not necessarily diminish when other stakeholders gain
more influence,” and, unsurprisingly, “influence from various stakeholders can be
mutually reinforcing” (Ni et al, 2017, p. 217). Delegating responsibilities alone is
not enough to provide reciprocal satisfaction, but delegating those responsibilities
to particularly credible parties can increase the satisfaction. Here, it is the
administrator’s responsibility not only to provide employees with opportunities
to collaborate but also to provide the right
employees with the right kinds of opportunities
...when administrators delegated to collaborate and contribute to program
initiatives. When individuals are allowed to
some responsibilities to their participate confidently and are often provided
the opportunities to do so, they feel valued and
employees, the administrators heard. This aids in sustaining a culture where

and employees both found more communication and collaboration are highly
valued (Posadas, 2014).
satsifaction... noting that studies have shown that, when
Men (2014) also defended this position,
an organization demonstrates value in a
collaborative, communicative culture via

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