Meta-Ethnographic Development of a Dialogue Methodology Applied to Organization Discourse

<p>A gap exists between theoretical stances that acknowledge the importance of dialogue as a dynamic within socially constructed structures, and "steersmanship" of those constructs--e.g., directing, intervening or transforming organizations. A "mechanism" which links theory with practice is missing, leaving practitioners with an acknowledgment of dialogue's central position, but without tools to enact this centrality in practice or research. This research constructs a conceptual model of dialogue, derived from the literature. Using this model as a base, the research seeks to generate a dialogue methodology bridging theory and practice with respect to organizational dialogue. The model, methodology, and research results are intended to further organizational research in organization change interventions.</p> <p>Notions of dialogue are explored through classical perspectives to construct a foundation model of dialogic complexity. The model's purpose is to make explicit dialogue perspectives from a wide range of literature and to develop an initial research point of view which includes use of dialogue as a research methodology.</p> <p>A qualitative multi-level ethnographic approach is used in which ethnography of discourse events of a university undertaking a Total Quality Leadership change initiative is the basis for meta-ethnography. This meta-ethnography captures development of a methodology which centralizes dialogic concepts within notions of co-genetic logic and dynamics of distinction (Herbst, 1993; Braten, 1983) making which become the basis of participant dialogue at one level, and at a higher level articulates understanding of a notion of organizational dialogue.</p> <p>Implications of this research involve the use of dialogue analysis as a learning tool for second order learning and organization transformation, as well as extending understanding of dialogue dynamics in complex organization change.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering

Year dc:date.available

1998

Author dc:creator

• Gallup, Shelley P.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Charles B. Keating
• Barry A. Clemson
• Rochelle K. Young
• Garrett J. McAuliffe

• Dialogue methodology
• Ethnographic. Meta-ethnographic
• Organization discourse
• Business Administration, Management, and Operations
• Communication
• Industrial Engineering
• Rhetoric and Composition
• Systems Engineering

Identifier

9780599059528

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.odu.edu:emse_etds-1070