Communication Competency and Positive Communication Among Women in Bihar, India: A Case Study of Heifer International’s Community Development Efforts

ABSTRACT

Nonprofit humanitarian organizations work to alleviate poverty and are evaluated in part on their effectiveness in doing so. One such organization is Heifer International, a global humanitarian nonprofit whose mission is to “end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth.” In this study, we assessed the impact of Heifer International’s Values-Based Holistic Community Development approach on beneficiaries’ interpersonal communication competency and positive communication behaviors. The article offers a cross-sectional study of 815 women in Bihar India across four-time periods: baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months. Compared to baseline, participants reported higher levels of positive communication behaviors and interpersonal communication competence across 6, 12, and 24 months. Implications of these findings for future research are offered.

KEYWORDS:

• Communication competence
• positive communication
• nonprofit organizations
• effectiveness
• poverty

Acknowledgments

This manuscript is the result of the support and contributions of many people. First, we want to express our gratitude to the two anonymous reviewers who helped to strengthen this manuscript and to Tom Socha for his invaluable comments and encouragements on our initial draft of the manuscript. With their feedback, the manuscript evolved into a much stronger article. Second, we are especially grateful for the support provided by Heifer International and the team of individuals who supported the study in India. This manuscript truly is a team effort spanning both interdisciplinary and cultural boundaries. At Heifer headquarters, we express our gratitude to Pierre Ferrari, Mahendra Lohani, Hilary Haddigan, Gretchen Villegas, Dilip Bhandari, Neena Joshi, and Surita Sandosham. A big thank you also goes to the folks of Heifer India, including Abhinav Gaurav and Istaqubal Waris. Special thanks to Ecociate Consultants for their partnership and the enumerators who walked home-to-home to collect data during a global pandemic. Finally, we express our complete gratitude to the hundreds of participants who participated in this study.

Disclosure Statement

This study is based on data collected in partnership with Heifer International to explore the nature of personal transformation in Asia, Africa, and South America. The project is fully funded by Heifer International. The study and analysis of data presented in this manuscript, however, were conducted independently from Heifer International.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by Heifer International.

Notes on contributors

Julien C. Mirivel

Julien C. Mirivel (PhD, University of Colorado at Boulder) is Professor of Applied Communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He is the author of three books on positive communication: The Art of Positive Communication: Theory and Practice, How Communication Scholars Think and Act: A Lifespan Perspective, and Positive Communication for Leaders: Proven Strategies for Inspiring Unity and Effecting Change (with Alex Lyon). For more information, please visit julienmirivel.com.

R. P. Fuller

Ryan P. Fuller (PhD, UC Santa Barbara) is an Associate Professor of Management and Organizations at in the College of Business at Sacramento State University. His research interests include positive communication, crisis communication, conflict management, and communication skills.

A. Thombre

Avinash Thombre (PhD, University of New Mexico) is Professor of Applied Communication at UA Little Rock. His scholarly interests relate to understanding the communicative underpinnings of self-transformation. Dr. Thombre is a practitioner of yoga and loves sauntering. He is an ecocentric writer, transcendentalist, amateur astronomer, public intellectual, and philosopher. His reflective writing can be accessed at https://avithombre.medium.com/

T. Ten Bensel

Tusty ten Bensel is Professor and the Director of the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology. Her research focuses on violence and victimization, crimes against special populations, and program evaluation.

K. A. Leach

Kirk A. Leach is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas – Little Rock. He specializes in community development, collaborative governance, cross sector community partnerships, and nonprofit management. His work acknowledges a critical reflexivity and is dedicated to improving socio-economic conditions of marginalized populations.