The Discourse of Management and the Management of Discourse

Bruce, Bertram C.; Connell, Jeanne; Higgins, Christopher; Mahoney, Joseph T.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/43890 Copy

Description

Title

The Discourse of Management and the Management of Discourse

Author(s)

• Bruce, Bertram C.
• Connell, Jeanne
• Higgins, Christopher
• Mahoney, Joseph T.

Issue Date

2011

Keyword(s)

• management discourse
• discourse management
• misunderstanding
• communication ethics
• transmission model

Abstract

Discourse is a pervasive tool of management; one might even say that discourse is what managers do. A widespread assumption among managers is that discourse is not only a pervasive tool, but an effective one for precise communication of information, for making decisions, and for enlisting action, essentially a transmission tool. This paper maintains that the transmission view is a limited conception of language use, one which leads to a faulty conception of what managers do. It ignores the need for an ethics of communication and misjudges the creative aspects of language use. Management discourse is a far more complex and fluid phenomenon, one requiring not just effective use, but management itself. In other words consideration of the discourse of management leads us to the need for the management of discourse.

Publisher

Inderscience

Series/Report Name or Number

International Journal of Strategic Change Management

ISSN

1740-2859

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/43890

Owning Collections