Transcript COMM 4170-01: Applied Organizational Communication

COMM 4170-01:
Applied Organizational Communication
Instructor: Dan Lair
Day Three: Introduction to
Consulting
August 31, 2005
Today’s Agenda
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Syllabus/Project Revision
Doing Case Studies
Discussion:
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Goodall’s article
Defining training/consulting (DeWine)
Introducing Case Studies
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What is the purpose of case studies? How
do they work?
When reading case studies:
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Use your theoretical “lens” to “look” at the case
Pay attention to both broad patterns and specific
details, taking notes (!) about both (that’s what
margins are for!)
Ask questions of the case: What’s not included
that might be helpful? What is included that might
be a red herring?
Syllabus/Group Project Revision
Writing Up a Case Study
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1 page, single-spaced
Case Studies should include:
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A paragraph describing the case in general, from your
theoretical perspective
A diagnosis of the central communication problem in the
case, based on your “reading” of both broad patterns and
specific details.
Your suggestions for how to solve that problem, based on
your theoretical perspective (you’ll need to remember what
you learned in 3170!)
An assessment of the appropriateness of your theory to this
particular case. Are there weaknesses/blind spots that
hinder your ability to suggest adequate solutions?
Discussion:
Introductory Case Study
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What theories do Yasmin and Marcus use in
their conversation to describe and explain
their experiences as job seekers and new
employees?
How do they use these theories to suggest
practices Yasmin’s sister (and others) might
use to predict and control her experiences as
a job seeker and potential new employee?
Goodall, “On Becoming an
Organizational Detective”
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A curious phrase on p. 43: “in the world we are constructing”? What
does Goodall mean by this? How is that sentiment reflected
elsewhere in the article?
p. 47: “A lot of communication consulting is really vocabulary building,
training people to use language capable of describing a situation in a
way that can be productively addressed.” What does this mean? Can
you think of examples of this (in the article, in your experience, or that
you’ve seen elsewhere?
What different types of “clues” does Goodall key into as he
investigates the organization? What kinds of conclusions do those
clues lead him to?
Goodall, in a sense, loses control of the process and becomes sort of
a pawn in Stella Mims’ elaborate scheme, something he doesn’t seem
wholly comfortable with. If you were in this, or a similar situation, how
do you think you would deal with it?
DeWine, Chapters 1 & 2
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On pp. 5-6, Dewine argues that communication is
“irreversible, unrepeatable, and reciprocal”? What
does this mean? What are the implications?
On p. 3 (and later as well), DeWine introduces (and
develops) the notion of an “internal” consultant?
What does this mean? What are the advantages
and disadvantages of “internal” and “external”
consultants?
What is the difference between training and
consulting? How are they similar? What skills are
associated with each?