Critical Reflexive Practice in Teaching Management Communication (Innovative PRACTICES‪)‬

CRITICAL THEORY has been a distinguishing feature of the communication research program at the Waikato Management School, but significant reflection is required to translate the theory into meaningful classroom experiences. The need for reflection comes from two key tensions in teaching management communication: One is the tension between teaching practical, career-focused skills versus critical and/or interpretive analysis; the second is the multicultural classroom environment where students, educated in a monocultural context, are exposed to other interpretations and critiques of their own cultural predispositions and values. In addition, there is no clearly defined notion of a management communication student in a graduate or MBA program. The how and what of graduate management communication programs are constantly in question as we prepare these graduates for an increasingly complex, ambiguous, and multicultural workplace (Mintzberg, 2004). Therefore, reflecting critically on our practices as educators is essential (Cunliffe, 2004; Grey, 2004). This article briefly describes the context of teaching management communication at the Waikato Management School and the key tensions experienced in that context. We then explain the concept of critical reflexive practice and its implications for teaching. Finally, we illustrate the framework through several critical incidents in the classroom.