Rethinking Engagement: How Managers Frame and Make Sense of Communication Strategies, Practices, and Challenges

Abstract

This study analyzes how some managers frame and make sense of engagement within organizational contexts. It aims to comprehend how their lived experiences of engagement shape their reflexive thoughts, perspectives, and strategies on a daily basis. To generate relevant data, this study used a qualitative approach by conducting semi-structured interviews with ten managers in Ontario, Canada. It made use of a thematic analysis to develop patterns and better understand common perspectives. The results showed a variety of approaches to engagement with no unanimous way of framing it as well as some paradoxes when looking at how managers make sense of this concept. Some managers seem to put forward more tangible words such as care, involvement, and success instead of explicitly evoking engagement. More specifically, from a communication perspective, this study has found that framing and communicating engagement seems to be a complex challenge for managers. They seem to make up their own meaning of engagement, which can greatly vary among individuals.