By Natalie Myers
It might be surprising to learn that traditional Sioux tribes have faced many of the same challenges that companies and organizations deal with today, such as scarce resources and constantly changing environments. The Sioux constructed a value system based on bravery, fortitude, generosity and wisdom to help overcome those obstacles. Scholar Daniel Modaff thinks that modern organizations could learn something from the traditional Sioux model.
Modaff, an associate professor of communication studies, is studying pre-colonial Sioux life to offer an alternative perspective on how people confront the challenges of their daily lives within organizations such as corporations, non-profit groups and universities. The idea came to him while he was co-writing an introductory level textbook about organizational communication and reading literature on Native American lifestyles on the side.
"I started to think about what it would be like to investigate how they organize themselves. Would that offer a different perspective on organizational life for us?" asked Modaff, whose study is funded by a grant from the Ohio University Research Committee.
The researcher visited South Dakota twice last year to gather preliminary data and set up contacts on Indian reservations he hopes to visit this September. He will spend a month interviewing 20 to 30 tribal elders and other knowledgeable members in hopes of gaining a better understanding of decision-making processes, social organization and the way values and spirituality contribute to the structure of the Sioux community, both past and present.
Because he's not an expert on Sioux life, Modaff said he doesn't want to suggest that these are definitive solutions to communication problems in organizations. But he's interested in exploring the possible connections. He's following the learning philosophy of a Sioux grandmother: "When you see a new trail, or a footprint you do not know, follow it to the point of knowing."
Natalie Myers was a student intern with Research Communications.
