Listen to the radio!

A Series of Radio Shows as an Intervention to Connect Managers, Teachers, and Staff in a Change process in a Dutch School Organization

This chapter presents the results of a design study in which radio shows were used as an intervention in an innovation process in a school organization. The ambition of three initiators in this school was to start up a process to connect colleagues stronger to their organization and to organize commitment, pride, and a feeling of belonging. They used a monthly radio show as a way to attain this. The question that is central in this chapter is to what extent custom made radio shows can contribute to making the new direction of an organization clear to its employees; and to supporting the actual change process that the employees are expected to undertake.

Four design criteria formed the basis for the series of radio shows:

1. Employees as active builders of the change process;
2. Connecting stakes of both change initiators and employees;
3. Linkage between above surface and below surface interventions;
4. Creating depth and scale in the intervention.

Based on the content of the shows, the numbers of listeners, the reactions of the employees of the school to the shows, and various interviews, the criteria are assessed in order to answer the research questions. The findings lead to design questions that have been discussed with a panel consisting of 2 experts and 2 stakeholders from the school organization.

This chapter is part of a book with a large selection of design research cases edited by Tjeerd Plomp and Nienke Nieveen. The complete book is online available. The table of contents can be found here.