Stanley Deetz

A generative conceptual framework for empowering diverse groups and individuals to make productive and creative choices together Communication Theory at the Crossroads proposes a new way of thinking about communication to generate new insights, promote new interaction practices, and directly address a new set of human problems. Rooted in a systemic constructionist perspective, this groundbreaking volume provides the theoretical foundation for fostering mutually beneficial solutions to contemporary issues of divisiveness, interdependence, rapid social change, technology-mediated human experience, and other contemporary social difficulties. Rather than merely explicating a novel conceptual framework, Communication Theory at the Crossroads positions students as active and engaged social scientists equipped with a unified, fully integrated theory they can use across traditional divisions of communication to navigate their complex, rapidly changing world. Throughout the text, the authors identify the limits of the communication theories currently in use, discuss the critical choices facing today’s communication students and scholars, explain the theory of relational constructionism, and much more. Helping students frame their understanding of life difficulties and use theory-based concepts to inform their choices, Communication Theory at the Crossroads is an essential textbook for mid-level undergraduate courses in Communication Theory and Human Communication.

Kritiskt tänkande brukar hävdas vara centralt i all akademisk verksamhet. En huvuduppgift för samhällsvetenskapen är att kritiskt undersöka sociala institutioner, idéer och praktiker. Flertalet tunga samhällsvetenskapliga forskare omfattas också av en kritisk ambition, exempelvis Habermas, Foucault, Bourdieu och Giddens. Detta till trots råder det brist på litteratur som kopplar samman den kritiska ambitionen med samhällsteori och vetenskapsteori å ena sidan och empiriska studier å den andra.I den här boken relateras kritisk teori och vissa varianter av postmodernism till kvalitativ metod. Författarna presenterar en referensram för kritisk kvalitativ samhällsvetenskaplig forskning. Boken tar upp kunskapsintresse, språk och kunskapens politiska och ideologiska natur, och omtolkar olika metodteman, till exempel intervju, etnografi och tolkning. Författarna pekar på den kritiska ansatsens kreativa potential bland annat genom att den stimulerar till ett ifrågasättande av dominerande språkbruk och synsätt, vilket i sin tur öppnar för nytänkande.

This title builds on the success of Doing Critical Management Research which has proven to be a seminal text in the 20 years since publication. In 2020, Alvesson and Deetz have broadened their focus and updated the original book to offer relevance to critical research across all of the social sciences. In reflecting contemporary theoretical and methodological turns over the past few decades, it includes coverage of key contemporary topics such as race, gender, postmodernism and intersectionality. With examples throughout, the authors provide an authoritative and insightful framework for navigating critical theories and methods and sets out a new agenda for critical research undertaken today.

This title builds on the success of Doing Critical Management Research which has proven to be a seminal text in the 20 years since publication. In 2020, Alvesson and Deetz have broadened their focus and updated the original book to offer relevance to critical research across all of the social sciences. In reflecting contemporary theoretical and methodological turns over the past few decades, it includes coverage of key contemporary topics such as race, gender, postmodernism and intersectionality. With examples throughout, the authors provide an authoritative and insightful framework for navigating critical theories and methods and sets out a new agenda for critical research undertaken today.

This volume addresses the role of communication in cultural change efforts within organizations, especially during periods of transition, mergers, technological innovations, and globalization. Included is a development of the nature and function of organizational cultures, discussion of the role of leadership in providing visions and framing organizational events, investigations of ethical issues, and careful examination of the importance of member involvement in change processes. Specific organizational cases are highlighted throughout. These materials were initially developed as the electronic text for an online course in organizational culture and cultural change as part of an executive masters program at Seton Hall University. The success with this course led to the development of a book to aid students and professionals work with organizational cultural change.

This volume addresses the role of communication in cultural change efforts within organizations, especially during periods of transition, mergers, technological innovations, and globalization. Included is a development of the nature and function of organizational cultures, discussion of the role of leadership in providing visions and framing organizational events, investigations of ethical issues, and careful examination of the importance of member involvement in change processes. Specific organizational cases are highlighted throughout. These materials were initially developed as the electronic text for an online course in organizational culture and cultural change as part of an executive masters program at Seton Hall University. The success with this course led to the development of a book to aid students and professionals work with organizational cultural change.