An up-to-date collection of new case studies spotlighting the integral role of communication in today's workplace, this volume will succeed its highly acclaimed predecessor as a valued reference and teaching text. Based on first-hand observation, in-depth interviews, and survey research, some of the studies highlight creative and positive uses of different communication practices; others demonstrate how communication can hinder organizational functioning. Bringing complex situations to life, the book explores key questions about how and why people work as they do today in large manufacturing companies and in small businesses, in high-tech industries, government, education, and the human services. Timely topics addressed include new communication technologies; the dynamics of teamwork; cross-cultural communication; sexual harassment; stress and burnout; and more.
Introduction, Sypher 1. Making Sense out of Creativity and Constraints, Sypher, Shuler, and Whitten 2. Conflict and Communication in a Research and Development Unit, O'Keefe, Lambert and Lambert 3. Vocabularies of Motives in a Crisis of Academic Leadership, Allen and Tompkins 4. The Negotiation of Values in the Mondragon Worker-Cooperative Complex under Pressure, Cheney 5. The Trials and Tribulations of Human Service Work, Miller 6. Disciplining a Teammate, Barker 7. The Utilization of Employee Assistance Programs at the Harding Company, Maxloff 8. Reengineering at LAC, Krikorian, Seibold and Goode 9. Negotiating a Japanese Buyout of a U.S. Company, Kleinberg 10. A Conflict in Mission in a Human Service Organization, Ray 11. The Business Concept and Managerial Control in Knowledge-Intensive Work, Deetz 12. The Politics of Information Systems, Contractor and O'Keefe 13. Information and Organizational Development, Kreps 14. Dealing with Office Rumors, Politics, and Total Quality Management, Wilhelm and Fairhurst 15. The Public Electronic Network, Rogers and Allbritton 16. Interorganizational Diffusion, Dearing 17. Integrating Electronic Communication at Texaco, DeSanctis, Jackson, Poole, and Dickson 18. Using Technology to Bring Healthcare to Rural Areas, Whitten 19. Attempting to Improve Employee Morale at Weaver Street Market, Zorn 20. The Case of the U.S. Navy's Tailhook Scandal, Violanti 21. Sexual Harassment on the Menu, Bingham 22. Case Studies in Reconstructing Identities at the End of the Organizational Age, Goodall and Eisenberg
