Title: The discourse of management and the management of discourse

Authors: Bertram C. Bruce, Jeanne M. Connell, Chris Higgins, Joseph T. Mahoney

Addresses: Graduate School Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 303 LIS, 501 E. Daniel, Champaign, IL 61820, USA. ' Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Education, 375 Education Building, 1310 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA. ' Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Education, 351 Education Building, 1310 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA. ' Department of Business Administration, College of Business, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 140C Wohlers Hall, 1206 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA

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.

Keywords: discourse management; management discourse; transmission models; communication ethics; misunderstanding; strategic management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSCM.2011.040638

International Journal of Strategic Change Management, 2011 Vol.3 No.1/2, pp.141 - 154

Published online: 28 Feb 2015 *

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