This project is situated within the interpretive tradition in organizational communication research, focusing on organizational discourse. It goes further by bringing the discussion into the 21st century through examining how communication technology--specifically e-mail--plays a role in the linguistic practices that help create, maintain and…

Knowing is an enacted, communicated process that is difficult to observe, let alone manage, in organizations. Communities of practice (CoPs) offer a productive solution for improving knowledge and knowledge management, but the communicative processes that enact CoPs have not been explored, leaving CoPs as an organizational black box. This research…

Reports on results of an empirical study of users' communicative responses regarding intraorganizational-implemented innovations and other planned changes. States that a list of users' individual communicative responses was developed and analyzed by means of multidimensional scaling to reveal the conceptual structure underlying the responses.…

Argues that it was the failure of the decision-making process, rather than the mode of risk assessment, which led to the decision to launch the Space Shuttle Challenger. Identifies the phrasing of the decision question and a shift in the burden of proof as specific problems of the process. (MS)

Explains that when organizations face crises, their rhetorical response often follows two steps: assessment of causes leading to the crisis, and a search for potential solutions and preventive measures for the future. States that epideictic rhetoric designed to sustain or regain the organization's reputation is effective in both steps. Examines…

States that in addition to reflecting the social and power relationships between the writer and the reader, politeness strategies in administrative writing reflect the values of the organization. Offers a context-based approach to analyzing administrative writing, an approach that can be used to uncover discourse strategies in other organizational…

Finds that as cashiers displayed more courtesy, customers provided more positive evaluations of service and were ultimately more likely to recommend the store and shop at the store if other stores are closer; but that courteous service did not predict customer helpfulness, and explained relatively little variation overall in outcome variables. (SR)

Finds (1) that corporate use of certainty in public business discourse is not affected by organizational profitability status or industry type; (2) a significant difference in the use of certainty exists between corporate oral and written communications; and (3) the use of certainty in corporate public business discourse does not differ…

Explores the discourse on working knowledge that subject matter experts use with technical communicators to represent work in organizations. Focuses on the narrative authority of speakers in the discourse process because participants constructing task representations bring distinct viewpoints to the documentation process. Studies imperative…

Noting that the encouragement of employee commitment to the organization is a top-priority item across much of corporate America, this paper focuses on numerous rhetorical employee identification strategies utilized by USAir, one of America's largest airlines. After a brief synopsis of the history of USAir, the paper first reports on an…

Analyzes jargon and themes of the total quality (TQ) and high commitment work systems visions. Juxtaposes linguistic references of both visions and reveals a gap in TQ. (SR)

Investigates the impression management strategies embedded in the external discourse of an organization in crisis. Shows ingratiation to be the primary strategy. Finds that intimidation was used with special interest groups and that denouncement strategies were embedded in messages to competitors, special interest groups, and suppliers. (SR)

Proposes a general analytical framework called centering resonance analysis (CRA), a text analysis method suited to studying communication like reports, letters, memos, emails, and transcribed conversations. Illustrates its validity in analyzing conversations in a meeting, comparison to human readings of interview texts, and uncovering structure…

An ethnographic study examined a distinctive and recurrent form of problem solving interaction that has been previously unreported in the organizational communication and problem solving literatures--Informal Problem Solving Meetings (IPSs). The fact that participants in IPS meetings themselves neither name or ordinarily formulate Informal Problem…

Develops a typology of persuasive attack strategies. Identifies two key components of persuasive attack: responsibility and offensiveness. Describes several strategies for intensifying each of these elements. Applies this analysis to "Dateline NBC"'s allegations that Wal-Mart's "Buy American" campaign was deceptive. Concludes…