COMM 4170-01:
Applied Organizational Communication
Instructor: Dan Lair
Day Eight: Critical Approaches
to Organizational
Communication
September 21, 2005
Today’s Agenda
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Overview of the Critical Approach
Discussion of Eisenberg & Goodall, “Critical
Approaches to Organizations and
Communication”
Discussion of case study, “Corporate
Counseling”
Origins of Critical Approaches to
Organization(al Communication):
Karl Marx
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Early Marx (1840s)
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Later Marx (1860s)
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Sociological Marx
Work and human nature
Alienation
Economic Marx
Labor and surplus value
Marx’s Model of Society:
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(Economic) Base: Means and
Mode of Production
(Cultural) Superstructure:
Culture, Politics, Art, etc.
Ideology as False
Consciousness
The Critical Perspective:
Key Assumptions
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Organizations are inherently political,
meaning that they are sites of power favoring
dominant interests
Organizational theory tends to support those
dominant interests by ignoring deeper power
structures.
Critical approaches question taken-forgranted in the interest of promoting change
The Critical Perspective:
Key Concepts
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The Central Term:
Power
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French and Raven (pp.
142-143 in Eisenberg)
Lukes’ ThreeDimensional View of
Power
Power and subjectivity:
Foucault
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Other Related Terms:
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Domination
Ideology
Reification
Naturalization
Legitimation
Hegemony
A Critical Example:
Feminist Perspectives
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Feminist approaches to organizations argue
that organizations are “gendered” to privilege
men/masculinity.
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Question: In what ways are organizations
gendered?
Feminist approaches seek to expose
inequality in an effort to improve
organizational life for all members.
The Critical Approach:
Conception of Communication
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A process for both domination and change
Functions for maintenance (as in
legitimation) and innovation (as in
emancipation). Function of communication
lies beyond simply day-to-day organizational
activities.
Formal and informal, surface-level and deep
structures.
Discussion of Eisenberg and Goodall,
“Critical Approaches”
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What do Eisenberg and Goodall mean by the
“hidden but pervasive power that organizations have
over individuals” (p. 140)?
What does it mean to say that “ideology exists in the
practices of everyday life” (p. 144)?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of a critical
approach to organizational communication?
Case Study:
“Corporate Counseling”
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In your theory specialization groups, work through this case
study in the following four steps:
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Describe the case in general, from the critical perspective.
Diagnose the central communication problem in the case, based
on your “reading” of both broad patterns and specific details.
Suggest potential solutions for that problem, based on the critical
perspective.
Assess the appropriateness of the critical perspective for this
particular case. Are there weaknesses/blind spots that hinder your
ability to suggest adequate solutions?
Be prepared to return to the full class to discuss the case indepth, based upon the conclusions you have reached as a
group.