COM 597 Reading Guide Questions for June 14 - Irwin Mallin, IPFW Communication

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COM 597, Summer 2007 – Reading Guide Questions for June 14

For Smith and Eisenberg (1987):

1. Bottom p. 367-top p. 368: What is the “interpretive turn” in organizational studies? What do Smith and Eisenberg say is the significance of the interpretive turn for conflict studies?

2. Middle p. 368: What’s the difference between first-order change and second-order change? Why do Smith and Eisenberg say this distinction is significant for conflict studies? What method do they propose toward that end?

3. Bottom p. 368-top p. 369: They argue that metaphor is central to how we think and how we understand the world. Let’s try it. Quickly fill in the blanks with the appropriate metaphor:

IPFW is a _________
My boss is a _________
The place where I work is a _________

We’ll put you into groups on Thursday night to see what metaphors you come up with.

4. Middle p. 369: They argue that two of the central dialectics of organizing are stability-change and autonomy-coordination. How have each of these manifested themselves where you work?
For those of you who’ve had grad or undergrad courses in interpersonal communication or personal relationships: What similarities do you see between these and relational dialectics? What similarities do you see between these and Wilson and Putnam’s three types of goal conflict?

5. Bottom p. 369-top p. 370: So what exactly is a root metaphor?

6. pp. 370-371: So how exactly did they do this study?

7. p. 371: And the two root metaphors they found for Disneyland were......

8. pp. 372-373: What exactly does it mean to say “Disneyland = Drama?” And if “Disneyland = Drama,” then “Disneyland employees = _____________?”

9. pp. 373-374: What did it mean for management to say “Disneyland = Family ?” What did it mean for employees? And if “Disneyland = Family,” then “Disneyland employees = _____________?”

10. pp. 374-375: What were the consequences of the diverging interpretations of “Disneyland = Family?”

11. Is the family metaphor used in any organizations you’ve been part of? By whom? With what consequences?

12. So how is metaphor analysis useful for studying conflict?

13. How is this metaphoric approach similar to Kusztal’s discourse approach? How is it different?

Go to Reading Guides | Go to Syllabus | Go to Course Schedule
Go to Assignments | Go to Irwin's Main Page | E-Mail Irwin