1) This week’s readings by Deetz (1994) and Cronen (1995) share a common theme: that, while there will likely always be a need for research that explores ways to control and manage people, a meaningful future for the organizational communication discipline depends on, among other things, the ability of researchers to make a social contribution through their work.
- How does a communication-centered approach to the study of organizations enable us to produce more socially-meaningful research than our counterparts in business/management?
- How do you plan to use your work to demonstrate the potential of communication to address significant social challenges?
2) Redding (1985) defended “rocking boats” and “blowing whistles” as important forms of dissent in organizations, including universities. I LOVED this piece! And although it was written in 1985, I think its message is timeless. In fact, in our last class meeting in which we discussed "participation", I commented that I believe dissent is an important but devalued form of organizational participation/decision-making… with my belief that dissention is as important as consensus in organizational life, I ask:
- How does your experience as a current student influence your teaching?
- What do you, as a teacher, do to serve as a role-model to your students and “put issues of freedom of speech and dissent in the spotlight” (p. 257)?
- At what point does it become an instructor’s ethical responsibility to actively voice her/his dissenting or unpopular views, rather than attempt to remain “neutral” in the classroom?
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