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Knight School of Communication COMM 610 The Social Construction of Organizing Fall 2012 Tuesday 6 8:45 p.m. Instructor Info Kim Weller Gregory, Ph.D. gregoryk@queens.edu 704.277.6773 (c) @ocomfly Dana 102C Office Hours: After class; Tues & Thurs 10:45 a.m.- 12 p.m. and 5:15 6 p.m.; and by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION This course demonstrates the ways social interaction shapes and is shaped by organizing processes. We will investigate how communication becomes the means by which we come to make sense of organizational life and develop strategies, structures, and practices for coordinating action and meeting goals. We will explore how contemporary organizations transform individuals participating in society by examining essential topics such as identity construction, motives, motivation, effectiveness, socialization, leadership, and career. Forms of analysis include organizational values, narratives, artifacts, messages, practices, and structures. The specific objectives of this course are to: 1. Critically examine the ways historical and contemporary organizational contexts and frames shape organizing processes. 2. Appreciate how various theoretical conceptions of organizational communication illuminate our understanding of the ways communication creates, maintains, and transforms organizations and individuals in organizations. 3. Improve your ability to create and consume communication by applying a variety of theoretical frameworks to everyday organizational communication practices. REQUIRED MATERIALS Eisenberg, E.M., Goodall, H.L., Jr., & Trethewey, A. (2010). Organizational communication: Balancing creativity and constraint (6th Edition). Boston: Bedford/St. Martins. Additional readings are posted on our Queens Learning Management System (Moodle) course site. http://moodle.queens.edu/

CLASS OPERATING PROCEDURE Course Policies Connections: facebook: We have a facebook group open only to students in our course named Knight School of Communication COMM 610 Knight School of Communication at http://www.facebook.com/groups/153510951453391/ Please use the group to ask questions and share resources. Twitter: I will share ideas and resources as well as post some course announcements on Twitter using the hashtag #comm610. Please join in the conversation. Assignments: Assignments should be emailed to me at gregoryk@queens.edu by the start of class on the assigned day (i.e., written assignments or links to digital assignments). Unless otherwise specified, submit any written assignments as MS Word documents (not a PDF) with your first and last name in the title of the document. I will email you my comments, sometimes directly embedded in the assignment. Any assignments submitted after the start of class on the assigned day will be considered late. Typically, any late assignment that I choose to accept is penalized a minimum of one letter grade for each day that it is late. Writing: As students in a graduate program, your writing should be clear, coherent, and error free. Please make an appointment at the Center for Academic Success Writing Center for any extra assistance (contact Jenn Goddu at godduj@queens.edu or 704.688.2765; also see http://www.queens.edu/studentlife/resources/writing_center.asp). Written assignments should follow APA guidelines. Grading: Some written assignments will receive letter grades that will be converted to a numerical score for final grade computation. The grading scale is as follows: A 90 100 Superior work. Creative. B 80 89 Good work. Could improve in one of these areas: ideas, argument, or grammar. C 70 79 Adequate work. Could improve in two of these areas: ideas, argument, or grammar. F 69 & below Unacceptable work. Reflects unacceptable level of commitment or skill. Class Attendance: As a discussion-based course, it is important that you not miss scheduled class meetings. However, I realize that occasional professional and personal scheduling conflicts are unavoidable. Therefore, you may miss 1 class with no penalty. For each additional absence, your final participation grade will be reduced by 5 points. If you must miss class, please try to Skype in.


Confidentiality: Confidentiality on all papers and projects will be honored. The names of people or organizations may be changed for your coursework. Please see me if you have any questions or concerns about your paper or project.

University Policies University Closings/Cancelled Classes: QAlert: Sign up to receive campus emergency notifications via voicemail, text and/or e-mail at www.queens.edu/alert. If classes are meeting but you feel that you cannot find a safe way to get to class, please notify me as soon as possible. Should I need to cancel class, I will notify you by sending out a message on our course Facebook page and Twitter. Honor Code & Plagiarism: The Honor Code, which permeates all phases of university life, is based on three fundamental principles. It assumes that Queens students: a) are truthful at all times, b) respect the property of others, and c) are honest in tests, examinations, term papers, and all other academic assignments. Plagiarism is representing anothers words or thoughts as ones own, and it is a clear violation of Queens Honor Code. It can take many forms, including word-for-word plagiarism or paraphrasing without providing proper citation of source. To learn more, visit the Queens Center for Academic Success located in the basement of Dana (http://www.queens.edu/studentlife/resources/academicresourcecenter.asp) or the following website: http://www.plagiarism.org/. Please contact me if you have any questions or believe a violation of the Honor Code has occurred. Institutional Review Board: Students must gain approval from the IRB in advance for any upcoming research that directly involves human subjects. Research review regulations are a federally mandated process that seeks to protect human subjects from physical or emotional harm, as well as deceptive or exploitative research. IRB regulations at academic institutions also help protect researchers and their institutions from legal and reputational risks. Retroactive approvals are not possible. For more information and the necessary forms, visit MyQueens and see shared documents (left side bar). Intellectual Property Policy: Queens University of Charlotte faculty and students adhere to the Queens Intellectual Property Policy. See Faculty Handbook, http://moodle.queens.edu, and the Queens University of Charlotte website at http://www.queens.edu. Disability Accommodations: If you are a student with a verified disability and you require accommodations, please provide me with the necessary memorandum that was given to you by Student Disability Services. Contact Disability Services at 704-337-2508.

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS Reflection Blog 40% You will start (or add to) a blog for the course and post six reflection pieces over the course of the semester that provide you with an opportunity to apply course concepts to a real-life organizational setting. The goal is to heighten your understanding of how communication becomes the means by which we come to make sense of organizational life and develop strategies, structures, and practices for coordinating action and meeting goals. Following are guidelines for your blog: Blog posts should be approximately 500-700 words in length (i.e. approximately 1 to 2 pages of a traditional paper). Posts should sound professional and avoid slang. Posts should be free of typographical and grammatical errors. Each posting should have coherency. That is, each posting should have a coherent thesis or argument and it should be supported by examples from real-life organizational events, as well as personal experiences or perceptions. Each blog post MUST apply specific course material (such as aspects of a specific organizational communication theory or material from a course reading). Cite your sources to identify when you are incorporating course material. Note: For our course, I suggest following additional guidelines: 1. Begin each post with a brief contextualization of your topic (i.e., Why is this timely or important?). 2. End your post with a so what conclusion (i.e., Once again, why is this important? How can we learn from this?). 3. Ask a question of the reader at the very end of your post to engage conversation. The reflection blog assignment will be evaluated twice throughout the term, with each grade counting towards 20% of your final grade. The first assessment will be approximately half way through the semester. Your first four reflection blog posts should each address the following respective topics: 1. Historical Perspectives of Organizing: Classic Management, Human Relations and/or Human Resources 2. Critical Theory 3. Systems Thinking and/or Sensemaking 4. Organizational Culture You may choose from the following topics for your remaining two reflection blog posts: Organizational Culture and Climate Creativity and Collaboration Communication and Leadership Crafting Identities and Brand Organizing Across Differences

Inquiry Project 35% In no more than 10 pages, you will draft a communication inquiry paper in which you adopt an inquiry model (e.g., narrative, rhetorical criticism, ethnography) to explore a particular organizing context (e.g., leadership, innovation, identity and brand, organizational culture, motivation, strategic communication across multiple audiences, etc.). You will illuminate your topic with at least one organizational communication theory or concept. The ultimate goal is to illuminate the ways strategies, structures, and processes of organizing are socially constructed through communication, as well as the ways organizational and individual identities are shaped by social interactions. Some inquiry project examples might be (1) exploring an organizational culture through an ethnography (one you conduct or one already completed); (2) investigating the ways organizational and individual identities are constructed through narrative; and (3) taking a critical approach to exploring the ways some seemingly helpful HR practices covertly constrain individuals choices. Specifically, your research project should: 1. Articulate your organizational communication problem, strategy, or initiative to be analyzed and evaluated. 2. Adopt and describe an inquiry model to explore that communication topic. 3. Contextualize your communication topic through credible research and literature (either written as a traditional literature review or an annotated bibliography). 4. Draw some conclusion about your topic using at least one theoretical framework to support or illuminate it. Personal Organizing Philosophy 10% The goal of this assignment is to help you reflect on the various assumptions, structures, and theories of organizing that we explore in this course to create your own personal organizing philosophy. Draft an introductory post for your reflection blog in which you describe your ideologies about what successful organizing and organizational communication should look like in the 21st century. Draw upon your learning in this course and address issues such as your personal communication and leadership style, management philosophy, means of fostering collaboration and creativity, managing differences, crafting organizational and individual identities, communicating strategically with diverse audiences, or other best practices for the various dynamics of organizational life. Contextualize your organizing philosophy in the new realities of organizing today. You will present your personal organizing philosophy to the class at the end of the semester using a digital tool.


Participation 15%

Contributions to class discussion and class attendance will be counted toward the total participation grade in the course. In addition, for certain class periods, I will ask (in advance) a small group of students to be in charge of the discussion for a particular reading or set of readings (approximately a 20-30 minute discussion). On these occasions, be prepared to summarize the article/reading, provide connections to course concepts, and be able to illuminate concepts with real-life examples and/or a case study. TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE DATE DISCUSSION TOPICS ASSIGNMENTS DUE Sept 4 DNC in Charlotte No class Meeting Sept 11 Introduction to the course and Text: Ch. 1, Ch. 2 (pp. 26-36 organizational communication only) Labor, Work, and Organizing in the Safian (2012) (link below) Modern World McKinsey Global Institute (link below) Sept 18 Early Theoretical Perspectives Text: Ch. 3 (pp. 59-70 only) Scientific Management/Classic Management/Bureaucracy Miller: Ch. 1 (Moodle) Grow (2006) (link below) WSJ Online (2008) (link below) WSJ Online (2010) (link below) th Sept 25 Mid 20 century Organizing: Human Text : Ch. 3 (pp. 70-79 only) Relations & Human Resources Miller: Ch. 2 & Ch. 3 (Moodle) Comm Scholar: Functional Approach Fast Co: (2012) (link below) Lucas (2010) (link below) WSJ Online (2011) (link below)


DATE Oct 2 DISCUSSION TOPICS Critical Approaches to Organizing: Power & Ideology Comm Scholar: Critical Approach ASSIGNMENTS DUE Text: Ch. 5 Deetz Ch. 1 (Moodle) Foucault: Panopticism (Moodle) (review) Atlantic Magazine (2012) (link below) Class in groups, each group reads one: Pierce & Dougherty Spradlin Violanti Murphy Text: Ch. 3 (pp. 79-95 only) Morgan Ch. 3 (Moodle) Weick: Ch. 1 & Ch. 2 (1995) (Moodle) Weick: Mann Gulch Disaster (1993) (Moodle) Fast Co. (2011) (link below) Text: Ch. 4 Vanity Fair (2012) (link below) Fast Co. (2012) (link below) WSJ Online (2011) (link below) Gibson & Papa (2000) (Moodle)

Oct 9

Contemporary Organizing: Systems Theory, Learning Organizations & Sensemaking

Oct 16

Organizational Culture & Climate Organizational Onboarding Comm Scholar: Cultural Approach & Ethnography


DATE Oct 23 DISCUSSION TOPICS Creativity & Collaboration ASSIGNMENTS DUE Smartblogs.com (link below) McKinsey: Mozilla interview (link below) Forbes.com: Reddit revolution (link below) WSJ.com: D-School (link below) Wharton (link below) NYT.com (2012) (link below) The rise of groupthink Text: Ch. 8 Wired: Steve Jobs (link below) Strategy-business.com: mad about leadership (link below) Cheney et. al., Ch. 5 (Moodle) Cheney (1983) (Moodle) (skim) Tracey & Scott (2006) (Moodle; skim) NY Times: Samuelsoon (link below) WSJ Online (link below) For Angry Employees, Legal Cover for Rants WSJ Online article #2 (link below) Living by the book of Apple

Oct 30

Communication and Leadership

Nov 6

Identity & Identification in Our Organizations Comm Scholar: Rhetoric & Performance


DATE Nov 13 DISCUSSION TOPICS Organizing Across Differences: Generations & Cultures Ethics & Values in Our Organizations ASSIGNMENTS DUE Text: Ch. 6 Cheney et. al. Ch. 13 & 14 (Moodle) Text: Ch. 2 (pp. 36-51) Fast Co: Chinas culture (link below) Intergenerational learning (link below) Greenleaf.org: Servant Leadership (link below)

Nov 20

Nov 27

No Class Meeting Happy Thanksgiving! Organizational (Re)Alignment: Strategy, Change & Managing Information

Dec 4

The Entrepreneurial Self & Organizing in the 21st Century

Text: Ch. 9 Cheney et. al. Ch. 11 (Moodle) Forbes.com: Do Nothing (link below) SloanMIT: Big Data (link below) NY Times.com:Entrepreneurial Generation (link below) Kamenetz (2012) (link below) NYT: Data Mining (link below) The Atlantic: Why women cant have it all (link below) Tweet with caution (link below)


DATE Dec 11 DISCUSSION TOPICS Presentations: Philosophy of Organizing Final Exam Period ASSIGNMENTS DUE

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LINKS TO SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS Sept 11: Labor & Work in the 21st Century Safian, R. (2012). Generation flux. Fast Company. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/162/generation-flux-future-of-business McKinsey Global Institute (2012). http://www.mckinsey.com/Insights/MGI/Research/Labor_Markets/Future_of_work_in_adva nced_economies Sept 18: Classic Management Grow, B. (2006). Renovating Home Depot. BusinessWeek. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_10/b3974001.htm WSJ Online (2008). Stores count seconds to trim labor costs. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122651745876821483.html WSJ Online (2010). At Starbucks, Baristas told no more than two drinks. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704164004575548403514060736.html Sept 25: Human Relations Fast Company (2012). Relationships: The new bottom line in business. http://www.fastcompany.com/events/realtime/florida/rlewin.html Lucas, S. (2010). Is it HRs job to protect employees or VPs? http://www.cbsnews.com/8301- 505125_162-44940934/is-it-hrs-job-to-protect-employees--or-vps/ WSJ Online (2011) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204319004577088810100916828.html Oct 2: Critical Theory Atlantic Magazine (2012). Is Facebook making us lonely? http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/is-facebook-making-us-

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lonely/8930 Oct 9: Systems thinking & Self-organizing Fast Company (2011). How the seemingly chaotic but wildly successful fringe festival makes it work. http://www.fastcompany.com/1773957/fringe-festival-lessons-for-businesses Oct 16: Organizational Culture Vanity Fair (2012). Microsofts downfall: Inside the executive e-mails and cannibalistic culture that felled a tech giant. http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2012/07/microsoft-downfall- emails-steve-ballmer Fast Company (2012). How intangible corporate culture creates tangible profits. http://www.fastcompany.com/1840650/how-intangible-corporate-culture-creates-tangible- profits WSJ Online (2011). Disney, Walton, Ford, Gates: Tales of when legends leave. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904875404576530864214225444.html Oct 23: Creativity & Collaboration http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/05/21/lessons-on-teamwork-from-really-bad-team- members/ http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Succeeding_at_open- source_innovation__An_interview_with_Mozillas_Mitchell_Baker_2098# http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanholiday/2012/05/01/inside-the-reddit-ama-the-interview- revolution-that-has-everyone-talking/ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303506404577446832178537716.html?mod=dist_ smartbrief http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2487 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-rise-of-the-new- groupthink.html?_r=2&scp=4&sq=January%2015,%202012%20and%20team&st=Search Oct 30: Leadership http://www.wired.com/business/2012/07/ff_stevejobs/ http://www.strategy-business.com/article/ac00038?pg=1

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Nov 6: Identity & Identification in Organizations http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/business/marcus-samuelsson-both-a-chef-and-a- brand.html?pagewanted=all http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203710704577049822809710332.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904009304576530792101313486.html Nov 13: Organizing Across Differences http://www.fastcompany.com/1802729/leaders-alibaba-youku-and-baidu-are-slowly-shaking- chinas-corporate-culture http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/08/early_education_technology_mak ers_can_learn_about_intergenerational_learning_from_sesame_street_.2.html http://www.greenleaf.org/whatissl/AKPFreeEnterprise.pdf Nov 27: Organizational (Re)Alignment http://www.forbes.com/sites/dorieclark/2012/07/23/the-management-insight-that-could- revolutionize-your-company-do-nothing/ http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/2012-fall/54104/how-big-data-is-different/ Dec 4: Future of Work http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/opinion/sunday/the-entrepreneurial- generation.html?_r=4&pagewanted=all Kamenetz, A. (2012). The four-year career. Fast Company. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/162/average-time-spent-at-job-4-years http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/education/edlife/colleges-awakening-to-the-opportunities- of-data-mining.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&src=recg http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-cant-have-it- all/309020/3/ http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/06/26/tweet_with_caution