The thought-provoking, timely second edition continues to offer a comprehensive, global perspective on organizational
communication. The authors' multinational experience, consulting and teaching expertise, enthusiasm for their subject,
and engaging style of writing create an inviting foundation for the exploration of this multifaceted topic. Each
chapter demonstrates the practicality of theory and how practice contributes to the development of theory, while
challenging readers to build on established knowledge to develop new approaches to the pressing problems in complex,
multicultural organizations.
The text is organized topically around the most important issues in organizational communication. Five themes recur
throughout the chapters: the interdependence of internal and external forms of organizational communication, the
disciplinarity and multidisciplinarity of organizational communication, global and multicultural perspectives of
organizational communication, the unity of theory and practice, and critical thinking in the analysis of organizational
messages and discourses.
Discussions highlight language and symbolism. The authors weave analysis of the multiple levels of messages throughout
the chapters; stimulate critical thinking about contemporary work and organizational life; approach the familiar
as unfamiliar; ask probing questions about commonly accepted practices; and offer more imaginative ways of working
together. Readers gain an appreciation for the social, political, economic, technological, and ideological contexts
in organizations and the place of organizations within the broader culture. The authors lead by example in encouraging
readers to think about, talk about, and experience organizational communication in entirely new ways.