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The Importance of Talk to Midcareer Women's Development: A Collaborative Inquiry

Terry Carter is an adjunct faculty member in the graduate programs in Human Resource Development at George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University

Using phenomenological methods of heuristic inquiry, nine midcareer women col laborated as co-researchers to explore learning in professional developmental rela tionships. Six months' interview and journal data revealed that women's develop mental relationships are created and sustained largely through talk. Furthermore, they experience not only instrumental, performance-based learning, but also what Mezirow (1991) calls "transformative" learning-learning that significantly revises beliefs, attitudes, and values and results in a changed worldview or perspective. These findings suggest that current definitions of managerial communication may be too narrowly construed, neglecting its potentially developmental function. This study has important implications for midcareer women, human resource develop ers, and communication scholars.

Key Words: Managerial Communication • Transformative Learning • Developmental Relationships • Midcareer Women • Heuristic Inquiry

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