Case studies in organizational communication ethical perspectives and practices

FM-Mumby.qxd 9/7/2004 4:56 PM Page i FM-Mumby.qxd 9/7/2004 4:56 PM Page ii FM-Mumby.qxd 9/7/2004 6:49 PM Page iii FM-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:31 PM Page iv Copyright  2005 by Sage Publications, Inc All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher For information: Sage Publications, Inc 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 E-mail: order@sagepub.com Sage Publications Ltd Oliver’s Yard 55 City Road London EC1Y 1SP United Kingdom Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd B-42, Panchsheel Enclave Post Box 4109 New Delhi 110 017 India Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Engaging organizational communication theory and research : multiple perspectives / edited by Steve May, Dennis K Mumby p cm Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN 0-7619-2848-0 (cloth) — ISBN 0-7619-2849-9 (pbk.) Communication in organizations I May, Steve II Mumby, Dennis K HD30.3.E54 2005 302.3′5—dc22 2004013890 This book is printed on acid-free paper 04 05 06 07 Acquisitions Editor: Editorial Assistant: Production Editor: Copy Editor: Typesetter: Indexer: Cover Designer: 08 10 Todd Armstrong Deya Saoud Julia Parnell A J Sobczak C&M Digitals (P) Ltd Rachel Rice Janet Foulger FM-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:31 PM Page v Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Thinking About Engagement Dennis K Mumby and Steve May Postpositivism Steven R Corman 15 Social Constructionism Brenda J Allen 35 Theorizing About Rhetoric and Organizations: Classical, Interpretive, and Critical Aspects George Cheney with Daniel J Lair Critical Theory Stanley Deetz Postmodern Theory Bryan C Taylor Feminist Organizational Communication Studies: Engaging Gender in Public and Private Karen Lee Ashcraft 55 85 113 141 Structuration Theory Marshall Scott Poole and Robert D McPhee 171 Engaging Organization Through Worldview James R Taylor 197 Globalization Theory Cynthia Stohl 223 10 FM-Mumby.qxd 11 9/2/2004 8:31 PM Page vi Conclusion: Engaging the Future of Organizational Communication Theory and Research Steve May and Dennis K Mumby 263 Author Index 283 Subject Index 291 About the Editors 303 About the Contributors 305 FM-Mumby.qxd 9/9/2004 7:48 PM Page vii This book is dedicated to Richard and Marilyn, who taught me to appreciate and value learning, and to Grace and Dennis, who deserve a second dedication FM-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:31 PM Page viii FM-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:31 PM Page ix Acknowledgments A book of this kind inevitably involves the support and cooperation of a number of people It is an accomplishment shared among the authors, the publisher, and the editors First, we’d like to thank the authors of the various chapters for agreeing to participate in this project and for producing such interesting and “engaged” work Any success that this volume has will be due to their erudition and expertise Todd Armstrong, our editor at Sage, encouraged us to pursue a project that explored scholars’ engagement with theory and research He shepherded the project through its various phases with his usual mixture of insight and good humor Thanks also to Deya Saoud, editorial assistant at Sage, for seeing the book through to completion Our three reviewers—Jim Barker at the U.S Air Force Academy, Patrice Buzzanell at Purdue University, and Gail Fairhurst at the University of Cincinnati—provided extremely valuable feedback that greatly improved the quality of the final manuscript Any limitations that remain are due to the incompetence of the editors ix S-ind-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:30 PM Page 296 296——Engaging Organizational Communication Theory and Research Leadership, 127, 146 Learning, 264-278, 278-280 See also Knowledge Levels of consciousness, 176 Lexus and the Olive Tree, The (Friedman), 246 Library example See Structuration theory (ST) Life style, critical theory as, 90-91 Linguistics model, 191 Linkages across social domains, 250 boundary objects as, 202 individual choices to organizational resources, 68 intensification of, across space and time, 253 systems to authority, 59 See also Relationships Logical positivism, 18, 28 Logos, 61 Managerial advantages, in ideology critique, 96 Marketing function in 1990s, 77 Marxist-inspired analysis, 95 Mass-mediated communication, 77 Material exchanges, 249-250 Materialist approach, to social constructionism, 39 Maternity leaves, 148 Matrix of activity, in worldview theory, 200, 202-203, 205-206, 209 McDonaldization of Society, The (Ritzer), 229 McDonald’s as global metaphor, 245 McWorld, 245, 246 Meaning dispersal of, 126-127 interaction of sensemaking and context for, 213 opening up indeterminacy of, 128 origins of, 35 verifiability principle of, 19 Means-end relationship, 203 Media systems, global, 116-117 Message-discourse distinction, 70 Metaphors, 121-123, 245, 246-247 Metaphysics, 27 Metatheory, 7-8 Micro/macro trends in interconnectedness, 229-230 Modality, expression of, 207 Models binary model of gender difference, 146 identity, 117-118 linguistics model, 191 socio-egocentric model of communication, 23 transformational models, 27-28 unitary model of organization, 215 Modernism, 93 Modernity, 69-70, 114-118 Modes of engagement, 101-104 Narratives, 123 foundational, 117 informing public, 155-161 on organizational sensemaking, 130 role of, in constituting organization, 213-214 symbols in historical, 133 National Communication Organization, Naturalism, 18-19, 24-25 Negation, in structuration theory, 185 Networks communication, 23, 29 global, 250-251 network nature of knowledge, 67 of perceived relationships, 23 psychological typologies/infrastructures of communication, 252 relationship, 29 reticulation theory of, 26, 27-28 structuring of, 242 Neutral organizations, gender bias in, 147-148 New Handbook of Organizational Communication, 244 Nonfoundationalist epistemology, 23-24 Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), 243, 250 Normative guidance to communication, 100 Nuclear weapons organization study, 130-132 Null hypotheses, 22 Obedience to Authority (Milgram), 65-66 Objectivity, 28-30, 31, 266 Observation, 18, 20, 24, 30, 61 Occupational groups, identification with, 182 Olive tree metaphor, 246-247 S-ind-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:30 PM Page 297 Subject Index——297 Organization, 115 as gendered communication act, 148 characterization of, 216 conceptualizing, 202-203, 212-213 constitution of, worldview and, 205-209 emergence of, 209 feminist, 145 reproduction of, and language, 209-214 understanding, 275 upheavals in, 226-227 Organizational climate, 187-188 Organizational communication canon in, implications of global practices of, 243 in everyday life, 64-66 key principles of, 76-77 knowledge of, 129-130 power and resistance in, relations of, 127-129 risks in development of, 74-75 social constructionism and, 45-48 Organizational Communication In an Age of Globalization (Cheney, Christiansen, Zorn, and Ganesh), 244 Organizational cultures, fragmenting and de-centering of, 123-125 Organizational knowledge/power/discourse, deconstruction of relations of, 125-127 Organizational patterning, 210 Organizational rhetoric, 60, 69-70, 72-74 Organizational structure, 76, 186-189 Organizational studies emergence of critical theory in, 92-100 future of critical theory in, 104-106 linguistics in organizational, 50 organizational rhetoric, 70, 77 sociological origins of, 57-58 Organization-as-”text” metaphor, 121-123 Organizations as discursive constructions, 49-50 crisis in business organization thinking (1970s), 92-93 decision making in, 100 definition of, 198 descriptions of, by researchers, 94 effects of, 280 engaging, from perspective of rhetorical theory and criticism, 59-64 (inter-)text metaphor for, 121-123 modern versus postmodern, 118-120 practices and decisions inside, 89 rhetorical concepts applied to, 61-62 rhetorical study of, 66-69 social constructionist frameworks for, 49 “Organizations as Discursive Constructions” (Fairhurst and Putman), 49 Organization Studies (journal), 121 Organized skepticism, 29 Organizing, definition of, 201, 277 Origins, politics of, 142-145 Paradigms, proliferation of, Participative conception of communication, 100 Pathos, 61 Personal experience, organizational and rhetorical in everyday life, 64-66 Perspectivalism, 92 Persuasion Aristotelian concept of, 70 forms of, 76 impact of rhetoric on organized, 68 in modernity, 69-70 organized, 66 power and, 72-73 Peruvian Amazon social system, 48 Philosophical Investigations (Wittgenstein), 172 Poetics, 130 Political issues, 103-104, 130, 142-145, 249-250 Positivism(s) antirealist, 26 as straw man, beliefs in, 32 caricaturization of, 16-17 disagreements among, 20 history of, 17-20 kinds of, 18 positions in, 18-19 rejection of metaphysics by, 27 Postconstructuralism theory, 124 Postindustrialism, 118-120 Postmodernism/postmodernist theory application to organizational communication of, 132-134 challenges to rhetoric of, 72-74 conclusions/summary, 271-272 controversies over, 130-131 convergence of modernity, postmodernity, and, 114-118 S-ind-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:30 PM Page 298 298——Engaging Organizational Communication Theory and Research evaluating reactions to, 130-132 implications of, 133-134 key assumptions and applications, 120-130 perspectives on social constructionism in, 40 postindustrialism, 118-120 postmodern organizational communication, 120 practicality of, 131-132 skepticism in, 73 Postpositivism, 266-267 competing approaches to, 30-31 falsificationism, 22-24 history of, 17-20 naturalism, 24-25 positivism versus, 31-32 principles of, 21-30 realism, 25-27 reality of, 20-21 Power, 69 as modality of structuration, 177 authority and, 76, 91 decision making and, 94 disciplinary, 46 distribution of modes of, 128 knowledge and, 92 organizations and power containers, 179 persuasion and, 72-73 relation of, with knowledge and discourse, 125-127 resistance and, 127-129 structuring of organizational power relations, 188-189 See also Control Power of Identity, The (Castells), 255 Practical consciousness, 176, 178 Practice, in structuration theory, 174 Pragmatics, 191 Praxis, 91 Processes construction of research process and products, 50 digital signal processing method, 25 hegemonic processes in organizational communication, 98 of globalization, 248, 255 processes in social construction, 39 role of, in constitution of society, 173 role of theories in knowledge production process, 7-8 social cognition, 27 socialization, 40 Production/reproduction, in structuration theory, 175 Public narratives, 155-161 Public relations activity, 57, 74 Punishment versus discipline, 125-126 Rationality, 59, 73-74, 97 Realignments of social interactions, 253-254 Realism, 25-27 antirealism, 19, 25, 26, 39-40 Reality approaches to dealing with, 39 hyper-realities, 117 insights on, 94 of postpositivism, 20-21 organizations as socially constructed realities, 46 Social Construction of Reality, The (Berger and Luckmann), 36-37, 172 Reason, eclipse of, 95 Reasoning, transcendental, 26 Reductionism, 19 Reference theories of language, 129 Reflection(s), 115, 180 Reflexivity global consciousness through, 254-255 reflexive communication, 129-130, 155, 212-213, 279 reflexive monitoring of conduct, 176 Reformed naturalism, 23-24 Regionalization of identities, 182 Reification, 95, 96 Relationships as outcome of communication, 215 change in organizational, 252 complex, 208-209 components of establishing, 207 critical theory/larger social context, 105 exploration of, in postmodernism, 113 human behavior and communication/social structures, 171 intertextual, 123 knowledge/power/discourse, 125-127 means-end, 203 perceived communication, 29 perceived strength of, 24 power/authority, 76, 91 power/knowledge, 92 S-ind-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:30 PM Page 299 Subject Index——299 power/resistance, 127-129 public and private spheres in feminist therapy, 160-161, 162 researcher/knowledge production, 8-9 scholars/theory, 132 social, 99-100 subjects/objects, 129 See also Linkages Relativism, 8, 25-26, 40 Reproduction/production in structuration theory, 175 Research aims of, 94 basis for development of, 264-278 communicative action, 94, 98-100 extending, 75-77 focus of organizational communication, 180-181 ideology critique type of, 94, 95-98 on feminist organizational communication, 148-152 See also Studies Resistance and power, 127-129 Resources enlisting multiple, 66-69 in structuration theory, 174, 181, 184 narratives as, 213 of society, 178 Reticulation theory of networks, 26, 27-28 Revolutionary pragmatism, 145, 151 Rhetoric, types of, 61 Rhetorical criticism, 60, 69 Rhetorical theory concepts applied to organization, 61-62 conclusions/summary, 269-270 early expressions of, 70-71 engaging criticalmodernist/postmodernist challenges to, 72-74 engaging organizations from perspective of, 59-64 expansion of organization communication’s boundaries, 74-75 intellectual history of organizational, 63-64 key principles of, 76-77 linkages between individual persuasive choices and organizational resources, 68 neo-rationalist foundations of, 73 organizations as constituted by, 62, 64 rhetorical communication, in everyday life, 64-66 rhetorical study of organizations, 66-69 Rules, in structuration theory, 174, 181, 184, 191 Scaling up, 206-209 Scholars/scholarship, 3, 160 author function in, 265-266 claims by organizational communication, 121-130 construction of an organizational communication, 40-45 critical theory as way of being a scholar, 101-104 development of a critical scholar, 87-90 development of feminist organizational communication, 146-152 engagement of, with research traditions, feminist, 152-155 influences on, 65 scholarly decisions, 278-279 theory and, 132 Science, spirit of, 21-22 Scientific methods, 31 Scientism, 18-19 Sectional interests, universalization of, 96 Self-organization, 215 SEMATECH, 189 Sensemaking, 212-213 Sex structuring in organizations (Hawthorne study), 147 Sexuality, 37, 158 Sexuality of Organizations, The (Hearn, Sheppard, Tancred-Sheriff, & Burell), 148 Sexualized imagery, 127 Shaping of communications, 129-130 Skepticism, 29, 115, 144 Social cognition process, 27 Social conflict theory, 92 Social constructionism assumptions of, 35-36, 37-38 conclusions/summary, 268-269 critiques of, 39-40 differences in approaches in, 38-39 examples of application of, 40-45 implications of, 48-50 of critical theory, 90 organizational communication and, 45-48 overview of, 36-37 S-ind-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:30 PM Page 300 300——Engaging Organizational Communication Theory and Research Social Construction of Reality, The (Berger and Luckmann), 36-37, 172 Social identity, 37, 38, 41, 43-44 Social institutions, 178, 190, 253-254 Social interactions, restructuring of, 253-254 Socialization mechanisms, 27 Socialization processes, 40 Social phenomena, irreducible, 21 Social reality, 172 Social relations, 99 Social structure, 171, 182 Society, interrogating, 75-77 Socio-egocentric model of communication, 23 Sociological origins of organizational study, 57-58 Sociology of knowledge, 36-37 Space and time, in globalization theory, 252, 253-254 Spatio-temporal arrangements, 180 Speech-giving, 70-72, 98-99 See also Communication; Language Speech-in-context, 207 Spirit of science, 21-22 Spoken text, 211-212 Standards, development of interorganizational, 189 Stasis, 61 Statistical testing, 22 Storytelling, 213-214 See also Narratives Structural features of organizations, 184, 214 Structuration theory (ST), 71 adaptive, 183-186 applications to organizational communication of, 180-189 conclusions/summary, 274-275 critiques/currents/directions, 190-192 dimensions/modalities of action, 176-177 institutions/actions, 177-179 main concepts of, 173-180 time and space, 179-180 Structure(s) and actions, balance of, 190 dimensions of organizational, 76 duality of, 178-179 in structuration theory, 174 network, 242 of language, 124 social, human behavior/communication and, 171 versus system, 27 Structuring moves, 184 Studies activity system of communication networks, 29 airline pilots studies, 158-159 chains of command studies, 186-187 climate structures of organizations, 188-189 construction of research process and products, 50 critical theory in supporting, 85-86, 92-100, 104-106 development of intellectual/academic knowledge, 36 digital signal processing method, 25 early organizational communication, 57 employee studies, 47-48 gender issues (See Gender issues/studies) glass ceiling, 146 group support systems, 183-184 hegemonic processes in organizational communication, 98 human construction of knowledge, 41 locus of, 61 masculinity, 157-160 nature of organizational communication studies, 130 networks of perceived relationships, 23 nuclear weapons organization study, 130-132 Obedience to Authority (Milgram), 65-66 organizational (See Organizational studies) organizations as socially constructed realities, 46 Peruvian Amazon social system, 48 positivist method for studying societies, 18 processes in social construction, 39 rhetorical study of organizations, 66-69 sex structuring in organizations (Hawthorne study), 147 social movement, 71 systems of team management, 126 See also Research Symbolic exchanges, 231, 242 Symbolic violence of scholarly decisions, 278 S-ind-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:30 PM Page 301 Subject Index——301 Symbols, designing, 77 System(s) activity system of communication networks, 29 colonial systems, disintegration of, 116 group support systems (GSSs), 183-186 in structuration theory, 174 linking of, to authority, 59 media, 116-117 Peruvian Amazon social system, 48 structure versus, 27 systems theory, 174 team management, 126, 185-186 Teaching as engagement, 278-280 Team management systems, 126, 185-186 Technical rationality, dominance of, 97 Technology, communication, 250 Text (apparently finished) text, 69 conversation-in-text worldview, 211, 212-213 conversation versus, 210 (inter-)text metaphor, 121-123 intertextual communication, 127 text generation, 206 text-in-conversation worldview, 211, 212 Theorists critical, 86, 93-94, 270 globalization (list of), 232-241 19th and 20th century, 58 Theory(ies) activist dimension of critical theory, 91 adaptive structuration theory (AST), 183-186, 190 basis for, 264-278 Central Problems in Social Theory (Giddens), 172-173 communication rules theory, 172 convergence and divergence of theories, 10-11 convergence theories, 228, 246 co-orientation theory, 206-207, 209, 215 critical theory (See Critical theory) development of organizational communication theory, 263 divergence/convergence theories, 228, 229 drivers of, 90 engagement of organizational communication theory and research, 2-3 engagement of organizations in rhetorical theory/criticism, 59-64 engagement of theory, 7-12 engaging, 75-77 feminist (See Feminism/feminist theory) functionalism in organizational theory, 19 future issues of (See Future issues of theory and research) globalization across theories, 247-248 globalization theory (See Globalization theory) historical development, 18 information theory, 206 knowledge, 7-8, 18 metatheory, 7-8 nature of, 278 of knowledge, 18 postconstructuralism theory, 124 postmodernist (See Postmodernism/postmodernist theory) reference theories of language, 129 relationship of critical theory/larger social context, 105 reticulation theory of networks, 26, 27-28 rhetorical theory (See Rhetorical theory) role of, in knowledge production process, 7-8 role of theories in knowledge production process, 7-8 scholars’ relationship with, 132 scholars/scholarship and, 101-104 social, 58 social conflict theory, 92 social constructionism (See Social constructionism) structuration theory (See Structuration theory (ST)) systems theory, 174 Theory of Disappearing Household Objects, 26 transformationalist thesis of globalization, 243-244 unity of science, 18 worldview (See Worldview theory of engaging organizations) Things versus ideas, 28 Third Man, 16, 18 Thought, being filled with, 102 S-ind-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:30 PM Page 302 302——Engaging Organizational Communication Theory and Research Time and space, in globalization theory, 252, 253-254 Topoi, 61 Traditional discourse, versus modern, 93 Transcendental reasoning, 26 Transformation, 115, 175 Transformationalist thesis of globalization, 243-244 Transformational models, 27-28 Translation in communication, 215-216 Tribalism and globalism, 245 20th and 21st centuries, bridge between, 116-118 Unconscious, the, 176 Unitary model of organization, 215 Universalization, of sectional interests, 96 University of Tübingen, 15-16 Values conflicts over, 96 exposure of one’s, 101-102 implicit, in directing thinking and action, 95 organizational promotion of, 76 Verifiability principle of meaning, 19 Vienna Circle, 25 Virtual organizing, 249 Wheel of science, 29 Women’s issues, 146-147 See also Feminism/feminist theory; Gender issues/studies Workplace ideology, 95-96 language of, 242 organizational relationships and, 65 organization of gender identity in, 153 See also Employees; Structuration theory (ST) Worldviews, differences in perspectives as, 214 Worldview theory of engaging organizations basic idea of, 199-205 concept of, 197-199 conclusions/summary, 275-276 constitution of organization, 205-209 divisions caused by, 205 illustration of concept of, 210-211 ATE-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:30 PM Page 303 About the Editors Steve May (PhD, University of Utah, 1993) is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill His research focuses on the relationship between work and identity, as it relates to the boundaries of public/private, work/family, and labor/leisure His research has explored the role of corporate counseling programs during organizational change and crisis, including downsizing, labor strikes, and accidents Most recently, he has studied the challenges and opportunities for organizational ethics and corporate social responsibility His current book projects include Case Studies in Organizational Communication: Ethical Perspectives and Practices (in press) and Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility, with George Cheney and Juliet Roper He has served as the Forum Editor of Management Communication Quarterly and is currently a Leadership Fellow and an Ethics Fellow at The Institute for the Arts and Humanities Dennis K Mumby (PhD, Southern Illinois University, 1985) is Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill His research focuses on the relationships among discourse, power, gender, and organization He has published in journals such as Academy of Management Review, Communication Monographs, Communication Theory, and Management Communication Quarterly His most recent book, coauthored with Karen Lee Ashcraft, is Reworking Gender: A Feminist Communicology of Organization (2004) 303 ATE-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:30 PM Page 304 ATC-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:31 PM Page 305 About the Contributors Brenda J Allen (PhD, Howard University, 1989) is Chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado at Denver, where she teaches courses on organizational communication, diversity, small group communication, and qualitative research methods Her scholarship focuses on social identity and organizational communication She is the author of Difference Matters: Communicating Social Identity (2004), as well as several articles and book chapters on gender, race, and feminism She recently began an ethnographic study of a transgender identity center in Denver, Colorado Karen Lee Ashcraft (PhD, University of Colorado at Boulder) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Utah Her research examines gender, power, professional identity, and alternative organizational forms and has appeared in such forums as Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Communication Monographs, and Communication Theory Her coauthored book with Dennis Mumby, Reworking Gender (2004), examines the role of feminist communication scholarship in contemporary critical organization studies Her current research examines the cultural organization of professional identity Focused on the case of U.S commercial airline pilots, this project explores the discursive and material development of occupational selves and relations across multiple sites of organizing The study investigates how gender, race, and class become relevant players in the organization of labor identity, as well as the role of communication in that process George Cheney (PhD, Purdue, 1985) is a Professor in Communication at the University of Utah He is also an Adjunct Professor in Management Communication at The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand Recognized for both teaching and research, he has published widely in the area of organizational communication, including a number of studies of 305 ATC-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:31 PM Page 306 306——Engaging Organizational Communication Theory and Research organizational rhetoric His other interests are identity and power in organizations, employee participation and workplace democracy, quality of worklife, business ethics (especially corporate social responsibility), globalization and marketization, and the rhetoric of war and peace A past chair of the National Communication Association’s Organizational Communication Division, he has lectured in Western Europe and Latin America Steven R Corman is a Professor in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University He received his PhD in Communication Theory from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1988 He is Chair of the Organizational Communication Division of the International Communication Association as well as being an Associate Editor of Human Communication Research He also serves on the editorial boards of Communication Monographs, Management Communication Quarterly, and Progress in Communication Sciences His publications on communication networks, interaction processes and content analysis, and computer models of communication have appeared in these outlets and in others such as Communication Theory, Communication Research, Social Networks, and Technology Studies He recently edited (with Marshall Scott Poole) a volume titled Perspectives on Organizational Communication: Finding Common Ground (2000) Stanley Deetz is Professor of Communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder Prior to joining the CU faculty in 1997, he taught for several years at Rutgers University, chairing the department there during the 1980s He is the author of Leading Organizations Through Transitions (2000), Doing Critical Management Research (2000), Transforming Communication, Transforming Business (1995), and Democracy in an Age of Corporate Colonization (1992) as well as editor or author of eight other books He has published approximately 100 essays in scholarly journals and books regarding stakeholder representation, decision making, culture, and communication in corporate organizations and has lectured widely in the United States and Europe He was a Senior Fulbright Scholar at Goteborgs Universitet (Sweden, 1994) He is a Fellow of the International Communication Association, having served as its president, 1996–1997, and has held many other elected professional positions He is also an active consultant for companies in the United States and Europe Robert D McPhee (PhD, Michigan State University, 1978) is a Professor in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University Specializing in communication theory and methods and in organizational communication, he has served as Chair of the Organizational ATC-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:31 PM Page 307 About the Contributors——307 Communication Division of the National Communication Association, as Associate Editor of Human Communication Research, and as Book Review Editor of Communication Theory Among his specific research interests are organizational hierarchies, organizational knowledge, the communicative constitution of organizations, and structuration theory Marshall Scott Poole (PhD, University of Wisconsin, 1980) is Professor of Communication and Information and Operations Management at Texas A&M University He has conducted research and published extensively on the topics of group and organizational communication, computer-mediated communication systems, conflict management, and organizational innovation He has coauthored or edited 10 books, including Communication and Group Decision-Making, Organizational Change and Innovation Processes: Theory and Methods for Research, Theories of Small Groups: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, and Handbook of Organizational Change and Innovation Cynthia Stohl (PhD, Purdue University, 1982) is Professor of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara She teaches a variety of courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels in organizational, global, and group communication and has published widely in these areas Her empirical research centers on organizational networks, collective action, and workplace participation in the United States, New Zealand, and several Western European countries She is currently a co–principal investigator on a National Science Foundation Grant, “Technological Change and Collective Association: Changing Relationships Among Technology, Organizations, Society, and the Citizenry.” She is the author of more than 60 articles in management, communication, and sociology journals and handbooks Her book Organizational Communication: Connectedness in Action (1995) received the National Communication Association Award (1995) for the “best book” in organizational communication, and her article (co-authored with George Cheney et al.) “Democracy, Participation, and Communication at Work” received the 1998 National Communication Association Organizational Communication Division Award for best article Bryan C Taylor is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, University of Colorado, Boulder His research and teaching interests include Cold War and nuclear rhetoric, high-technology organizational culture, qualitative research methods, and cultural studies of technology and media He is the recent coauthor, with Thomas R Lindlof, of Qualitative Communication Research Methods (2nd ed., 2002) James Taylor, author or coauthor of six books and some 70 published articles, is emeritus professor and interim chair of the Communication ATC-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:31 PM Page 308 308——Engaging Organizational Communication Theory and Research Department at the University of Montreal He has pioneered approaches to the study of the role of language in the constitution of human organizations, emphasizing in his work the contrasting roles of conversation and text in the construction of social reality A member of the Board of Directors of the International Communication Association, he has lectured extensively in Finland, Denmark, France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, England, Argentina, New Zealand, and Australia He is currently working on two new books, one in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Montreal and one that is the culmination of a 4-year research project conducted under the auspices of the University of Waikato, in New Zealand Recent work includes two books, The Emergent Organization (2000) and The Computerization of Work (2001), and some 25 articles in peerreviewed journals and books He has received Best Article and Best Book awards from the International Communication Association and the National Communication Association ATC-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:31 PM Page 309 ATC-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 8:31 PM Page 310 ... of organizational communication? Clearly, choice implies both presence and absence; in including certain perspectives we have 01-Mumby.qxd 9/2/2004 5:41 PM Page 4——Engaging Organizational Communication. .. different theoretical perspectives First, we want to unpack our thinking behind the choices that we made regarding what chapters and topics to include in this book In other words, in what sense does... long and storied history in the humanities and social sciences going back to the 19th century, it first only rose to prominence in organizational communication in the late 1970s/ early 1980s In