Communicating Organizational Culture in the Workplace through Writing
Date
2008-07-07T18:03:28Z
Authors
Weyant, Jacob B.
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Abstract
Organizational culture is vital to business success in everything from mergers to attracting high-quality personnel. This article explores how writing influences organizational culture. This study examines the professional writing practices and artifacts of a medium-sized technology company through several theoretical lenses from the discipline of professional writing. Genre, articulation, and structuration theories provide a framework for studying the company’s writing practices in a way unexplored by previous research. Combining this analysis with employee interviews, the study catalogues tactics and strategies within the firm that have meaningful consequences for the company’s organizational culture and, consequently, its business success. The results indicate that the study and management of writing practices within an organization are vital to creating a strong organizational culture. The analysis also suggests several strategies to that end.
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Keywords
Organizational culture, Workplace writing, Genre Theory, Articulation Theory, Structuration Theory