Browsing by Subject "organizational communication"
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Item Communicating 21st century statecraft: Evaluating the paradigm shift argument(2011-10-21) Chinn, Jacquelyn NicoleThis project examines how social media is being used by individuals within the State Department engaged in public diplomacy and how the use of these technologies may or may not represent a paradigm shift in diplomatic operation. Assessments of social media and government in popular culture argue a fundamental shift has taken place in government operations. Yet this argument calls for theoretical examination using communication theory and via examination of organizational praxis. Using Ammon's criterion for paradigm shift in communications technology and diplomacy, I evaluated State's current program of social media and public diplomacy called 21st Century Statecraft. I conducted a content analysis of organizational Twitter feeds and also interviewed actors within the organization working with public diplomacy and social media. I also examined historical accounts of State's Voice of America radio program, and compared current organizational uses of social media with the appropriation of radio in the second half of the 20th century. The results suggest that paradigm shift has not yet occurred despite the uses of the new technologies. In many cases, social media is being used akin to technologies from previous paradigms due in part to the constraints of organizational structures. Twitter platforms were used as spaces to push information and policy to the masses, similar to the ways in which radio was used after World War II and throughout the Cold War. Organizational actors characterized social media as a tool to accomplish public diplomacy, not as the change agent those outside of the organization have argued it to be. They described organizational challenges of incorporating social media including questions of voice, information control, and doing 'in-reach' inside the organization. Finally, they described aspects of the interaction that took place as an opportunity to create dialogue amongst interested citizens around the world and to come into face-to-face contact with individuals outside the embassy. Although anomalous practices have begun to emerge as a result of new media's use in the State Department, we have not reached what Kuhn would term a 'critical mass,' necessitating a shift in worldview and practice.Item Narratives revealed: uncovering hidden conflict in professional relationships(2009-05-15) Anstrand, Carrie ReneeA qualitative narrative approach is used in this study of hidden conflict among nurses and support staff in a hospital setting. Twenty nurses and support staff from a single hospital nursing unit participated in in-depth interviews and shared narratives about hidden conflict. These narratives were used as data in the analysis and were augmented by observations and participant observational data. Narrative, content and theme analyses were applied to the data. Bruner?s narrative theory was applied to a portion of the narratives as a methodology for narrative analysis. Content and theme analyses facilitated the differentiation and grouping of the communicative acts from the hidden conflict acts as found in the narrative and observational data. Results showed that nurses and support staff aligned themselves within the organizational hierarchy, and that much of the experienced hidden conflicts stemmed from issues of organizational positioning. Results also showed that narrative analysis was an effective way to understand the meaning behind the conflict experiences of nurses and support staff. Finally, results demonstrated key communicative forms and hidden conflict strategies used in carrying out hidden conflict acts. Collectively, these findings verify the vitality of hidden conflict?s presence in organizations that exists embedded in the organizational culture. This study further reaffirms the importance of front stage communications to decrease the negative affects of hidden organizational conflict.Item We All Can Lead Because We All Can Serve: A Narrative and Visual Analysis of The Big Event at Texas A&M University(2014-12-12) Bogue, Patty AnnStudent Affairs professionals at American colleges and universities actively work to link students with meaningful extracurricular opportunities involving citizenship, leadership, and service ideals. Increasingly, institutions of higher education are providing extracurricular educational opportunities for students to respond and contribute to current community needs and concerns. Because of a decline in national civic engagement with American college students, universities have been called to take action and reverse this trend. Undoubtedly, The Big Event at Texas A&M University has created vast opportunities for Aggie students to understand and appreciate the role of community/university partnerships since its creation in 1982. This dissertation evaluates The Big Event as a service and leadership organization. Through narrative and the use of storytelling, this study uncovers how Texas A&M communicates the perceived importance of service and leadership and then translates this message with a day of service for the Bryan/College Station community. During this project, The Big Event student executives were interviewed regarding their leadership experiences. Research question one asked how the student leaders of The Big Event construct a narrative that emphasizes service and leadership as core values at Texas A&M. Coding and analysis of interview data revealed the emergence of four dominant themes. These themes include personal leadership development, individual leadership philosophy, service-mindedness, and the role of Texas A&M traditions. Research question two asked what is the role of narrative and storytelling in the logistics, preparation, and perpetuation of The Big Event for future improvements and expansion. Coding and analysis revealed the emergence of themes related to these three areas. Regarding logistics, the theme reported was the importance of best recruitment practices. Questions regarding preparation revealed the importance of valuable, skill-based experiences and the need for improved internal relations among student executives, committees, and volunteers. Responses relating to perpetuation included the need for articulating the vision for future expansion and strategic campus planning for national and international growth of The Big Event. In the research, the importance of civic learning was connected to current understandings and research regarding the motivations of students who choose to serve. The findings suggested important theoretical and practical implications. Specifically, narrative theory was employed through qualitative research methods to cultivate understanding and recommendations for future best practices. The application of student development theory ultimately remains a critical component of training students to be engaged citizens who co-create a better tomorrow through unity and collaboration. By investigating The Big Event, a contribution is made to current and future scholarship regarding civic engagement and service-learning in American higher education.