TY - JOUR
T1 - Formal Communications’ Role in Knowledge Work
T2 - Evidence From Projects
AU - Rogers, Priscilla S.
AU - Pawlik, Lisa A.
AU - Shwom, Barbara L.
N1 - Funding Information:
We are grateful to Terri Griffith, Jone Rymer, and Gail Fann Thomas for early feedback and to JBTC editor Charlie Kostelnick and two JBTC reviewers for helping us tighten the focus. Thanks also to Lori Peterson, JBTC ’s gifted managing editor; Lillian Chen and Kathy Welch, research specialists at the Ross School of Business and the University of Michigan Center for Statistical Consultation and Research, respectively, who advised on project design; Tiffany Tan, our research assistant, who helped catalog and analyze data; and Shovonne Pearson and Marybeth Myers, who assisted with document retrieval and visuals. Declaration of Conflicting Interests The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Funding The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. ORCID iD Priscilla S. Rogers https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7063-4143 Ethical Approval The project was approved by the University of Michigan Institutional Review Board Office of Research (ID number HUM00048860).
Funding Information:
We are grateful to Terri Griffith, Jone Rymer, and Gail Fann Thomas for early feedback and to JBTC editor Charlie Kostelnick and two JBTC reviewers for helping us tighten the focus. Thanks also to Lori Peterson, JBTC ?s gifted managing editor; Lillian Chen and Kathy Welch, research specialists at the Ross School of Business and the University of Michigan Center for Statistical Consultation and Research, respectively, who advised on project design; Tiffany Tan, our research assistant, who helped catalog and analyze data; and Shovonne Pearson and Marybeth Myers, who assisted with document retrieval and visuals. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.
PY - 2020/4/1
Y1 - 2020/4/1
N2 - To investigate the contribution of formal communications (FCs) to problem-solving knowledge work, this study examines survey, interview, and observational data from 212 teams who produced contracting documents, reports, and PowerPoint presentations while working on projects for diverse organizations worldwide. The study found that these FCs engaged teams in a contextual–conceptual dynamic involving interactive pairs of integral work activities. The findings validate, integrate, and extend prior scholarship on organizational genres, writing to learn, and the role of material texts in the work process, leading to a comprehensive framework that pinpoints opportunities for managing FCs to achieve their fullest potential.
AB - To investigate the contribution of formal communications (FCs) to problem-solving knowledge work, this study examines survey, interview, and observational data from 212 teams who produced contracting documents, reports, and PowerPoint presentations while working on projects for diverse organizations worldwide. The study found that these FCs engaged teams in a contextual–conceptual dynamic involving interactive pairs of integral work activities. The findings validate, integrate, and extend prior scholarship on organizational genres, writing to learn, and the role of material texts in the work process, leading to a comprehensive framework that pinpoints opportunities for managing FCs to achieve their fullest potential.
KW - formal communication genres
KW - knowledge work
KW - material objects
KW - oral presentation
KW - project management
KW - writing to learn
KW - written communication
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85078619558&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85078619558&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1050651919892039
DO - 10.1177/1050651919892039
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85078619558
SN - 1050-6519
VL - 34
SP - 115
EP - 156
JO - Journal of Business and Technical Communication
JF - Journal of Business and Technical Communication
IS - 2
ER -