All of the scholars in this volume explore difference from a variety of perspectives, each of which systematically looks at the relationships among communication, organizing, and difference.

Bringing together prominent scholars in the field of organizational communication to examine the relationship between difference and organizing, this book explores the concept in a comprehensive and systematic way. Part I explores numerous ways in which difference can be critically examined as a communicative phenomenon; Part II addresses how best to teach difference, including pragmatic recommendations for explaining the topic and making it relevant to students' lives; and Part III broadly examines difference as a central construct in applied organizational communication research. Ultimately, the book serves to carve out a new agenda for studies of difference and organization, and it challenges instructors and students alike to think about and explore difference in a more complex and productive manner.

Given the increasingly diverse terrain of 21st century organizational life, research-ers and students are exploring theoretical frameworks and analytic tools that attempt to understand organizing proc-esses in all of their richness and complexity. As such, there is widespread recognition of the need to ex-amine organizations as constructed through, and repositories of, difference; that is, as complex intersec-tions of discourses of gender, race, class, sexuality, and other markers of difference. In this sense, organi-zations are one of the principal sites where differences that make a difference (Bateson) are produced and reproduced. Communication is not something that simply occurs in organizations; rather, organizing processes are constituted and made meaningful by the mundane communication practices of its members. This book examines difference as a communicative phenomenon: The differences that make a difference are social and material constructions that can be productively understood by examining them as communica-tively accomplished. All of the scholars in this volume explore difference from a variety of per-spectives, each of which examines systematically the relationships among communication, organizing, and difference. KEY FEATURES & BENEFITS: The book explores the relationships among communication, organizing, and difference through three foci: (1) Research, (2) Pedagogy, and (3) Practice. In Section I-Researching Difference, organizational communication scholars explore a number of ways in which differ-ence can be critically examined as a communicative phenomenon, with the goal being to demonstrate the importance of difference as a construct a sensitizing device through which the complexities of organiza-tional communication processes can be examined and better understood. In Section II-Teaching Difference, chapters move beyond teaching diversity in the workplace and instead explore how students can learn to appreciate

"This book offers a refreshing and engaging overview of the ways some research traditions in organizational communication have unfolded over time and continue to be connected to everyday, real events." —Patrice Buzzanell, Purdue University Engaging Organizational Communication Theory and Research: Multiple Perspectives is a book unlike any in the field. Each chapter is written by a prominent scholar who presents a theoretical perspective and discusses how he or she "engages" with it, personally examining what it means to study organizations. Rejecting the traditional model of a "reader," this volume demonstrates the intimate connections among theory, research, and personal experience. Significant theoretical perspectives such as post-positivism, social construction, rhetoric, critical theory, feminism, postmodernism, structuration theory, and globalization are discussed in terms of their history, assumptions, development, propositions, research, and applications. In addition to editors Steve May and Dennis K. Mumby, contributors include Brenda J. Allen, Karen Lee Ashcraft, George Cheney, Steven R. Corman, Stanley Deetz, Robert McPhee, Marshall Scott Poole, Cynthia Stohl, Bryan C. Taylor, and James R. Taylor. Key Features • An introduction that addresses the idea of engaged research. • Accessible and cutting edge accounts of important research traditions written by well-known leaders in the field. • Personal accounts of each scholar′s place in his or her field of study. • A conclusion that explores the future of organizational communication studies. • An extensive body of references on each perspective. Engaging Organizational Communication Theory and Research is an indispensable resource for anyone wishing to be familiar with current trends in the field of organizational communication. It is recommended as the main text for upper-level undergraduate and entry-level graduate courses in organizational communication theory. It is also an excellent supplementary text for related courses in departments of communication studies, business and management, sociology, and industrial relations.

Organizational Rhetoric introduces students to a rhetorical approach to understanding, analyzing and creating organizational messages for both internal employees and external customers. This textbook provides students a theoretically-grounded understanding of the basic building blocks of organizational rhetoric, the types of rhetorical situations faced by organizational communicators, and the specific strategies used to address six common organizational rhetorical situations (such as image management). Students will gain an understanding of the power of organizations in contemporary society and be able to think critically about organizational messages. The text is organized in two units. In the first unit, authors Mary Hoffman and Debra Ford introduce the rationale for a rhetorical approach to organizational messages, and introduce the basic rhetorical building blocks and principles behind the rhetorical situation and the analysis of strategies. In the second unit, the authors cover six specific rhetorical situations commonly faced by organizations, image and identity management, issue management, impression management, risk management, crisis management and organizational apologia, and internal message management. Each chapter is structured similarly, in conjunction with the ideas developed in unit one, and each ends with a case study that exemplifies the content presented in that chapter. Features and Benefits: - The first unit in the text will introduce the details of analyzing situations and identifying strategies - The second unit will examine six specific recurring rhetorical situations for organizations - Organizational schema centered on situations and strategies - Use of real-life case studies - Focus on careers in organizational rhetoric - Focus on thinking critically about organizations in society

Communication in organizations has changed drastically since the release of the first edition of this bestselling textbook. This fully revised and updated edition delves into state-of-the-art studies, providing fresh insights into the challenges that organizations face today. Yet this foundational resource remains a cornerstone in the examination of classic research and theory in organization communication.

"Eisenberg′s book is refreshing, in addition to its theoretical merits, for the presence of a distinctive human voice, unafraid to express passion, anger and hope. Readers will benefit enormously from the substance of his book, but also from its form." —HUMAN RELATIONS In Strategic Ambiguities: Essays on Communication, Organization, and Identity, Eric M. Eisenberg, an internationally recognized leader in the theory and practice of organizational communication, collects and reflects upon more than two decades of his writing. Strategic Ambiguities is a provocative journey through the development of a new aesthetics of communication that rejects fundamentalisms and embraces a contingent, life-affirming worldview. Strategic Ambiguities: Explores the role of language and communication in the construction of social structures and personal identities. Provides a useful intellectual and historical context for students through framing chapters and head notes developed especially for this volume. Chronicles the historical development of an important argument about communicating and organizing through the sustained focus on a single theorist. Intended Audience: This text is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Organizational Communication, Communication Theory, and Organizational Behavior in the fields of Communication, Business & Management, and Educational Leadership. "This collection of essays is insightful, thought-provoking, and forward-looking. Eric Eisenberg takes on challenging positions, writes in a cogent and accessible manner, and always stimulates new scholarship. This work will be an important teaching tool, not just for the innovative content of the writing, but also for the historical narrative of organizational communication embedded in it." —Steve May, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill "Lay audiences will find the text rich with evocative narratives even as the theoretical moves will engage students and teacher-scholars. This edited compilation is likely to serve as a springboard for future inquiry and an invaluable resource for teaching and learning in undergraduate and graduate communication courses." —THE REVIEW OF COMMUNICATION