Benjamin Lauren

Networking in a Field of Introverts: The Egonets, Networking Practices, and Networking Technologies of Technical Communication Entrepreneurs

Research problem: Although labor statistics document a steady rise in contract, contingent, and entrepreneurial labor, knowledge about the professional communication practices that build and sustain independent careers in the field of technical communication (TC) largely emerges from broad survey analysis, cultural/social critiques, or individual anecdotes. From these statistics and stories, we already know that independent technical communicators face challenges ranging from legal issues to establishing marketing visibility when they start and maintain businesses. Drawing on thick qualitative description from semistructured interviews, this article responds to the need for more systematic research tracing the networking practices, technologies, and relationships that enable entrepreneurial work. Research question: How do established individual entrepreneurs in TC describe the social relationships, networking practices, and networking technologies that shape their careers over time? Literature review: This project extends prior research at the intersections of entrepreneurship, technical communication, and social networks. Entrepreneurial studies research indicates that strong social ties and embeddedness influence venture performance; however, systematic scholarship on the networks or networking practices of independent or entrepreneurial technical communication practice has been limited. Methodology: The project used semistructured interviews to analyze the professional communication practices of eight technical communicators with considerable experience working independently as consultants or small-business owners. We used an online search to identify experienced entrepreneurs in the interdisciplinary field of technical communication. After recruiting participants via email, we conducted semistructured interviews to gather employment narratives, while prompting participants to share information about career-relevant ties, networking practices, and networking technologies. We then analyzed data through two iterative qualitative coding passes. Results and conclusions: Our participants, made up of experienced TC entrepreneurs, have used networking over at least two decades to advance personal business outcomes and evolve technical communication as a field and profession. Findings detail how networking is central to professional social knowledge construction, as TC entrepreneurs establish transactional contact with others, practice learning, and enact exponential reputation-building that addresses the isolation of working outside traditional organizations. Since this is a qualitative study based on self-report, the results are not generalizable but provide a foundation for future larger-scale research building from these qualitative themes.

WIDE Research Center as an Incubator for Graduate Student Experience.

This article describes graduate mentorship experiences at the Writing, Information, and Digital Experience (WIDE) research center at Michigan State University and offers a stance on graduate student mentorship. It describes WIDE’s mentorship model as feminist and inclusive and as a means to invite researchers with different backgrounds to engage in knowledge-making activities and collaborate on projects. Additionally, the article explains how WIDE enables growth for its researchers, teachers, and leaders. To illustrate these ideas, the authors provide multiple perspectives across faculty mentors, former graduate students, and current graduate students in order to discuss how WIDE researchers practice mentorship and how this mentorship prepares students for future work as scholars and researchers. Finally, the article suggests ways other research centers can adapt WIDE’s approach to their own institutional context.

A systems approach to project management pedagogy: Situating competencies and relationships to constellate emerging technical and professional communication practice

This brief article contributes a pedagogical discussion of project management in technical and professional communication. In the article, we argue for using a systems approach to scaffold project management curriculum. The article explains how we, as instructors, use a systems approach to teach students how project management activities constellate a range of workplace practices that technical and professional writers frequently engage in, such as digital governance and content strategy. The article defines systems thinking in the context of project management and further illustrates it in pedagogical practice by using examples from two courses at different universities. The article concludes by arguing that a systems approach can lead to more ethical project management practices through the design of inclusive systems.

Designing for learning experiences: the case of early-career knowledge workers

In this experience report, we argue that the design of learning networks can be understood as a communication design problem, and user-experience design strategies thus can be leveraged to improve the situations of early-career employees in knowledge work contexts. The report positions this issue in the context of previous research on the transition to workplace learning, and then illustrates the issue in the context of an existing organization, SMN (pseudonym). Next, the report explains three prevailing methods for analyzing learning networks as a way for communication designers to consider what additional research sensibilities and techniques might be needed to continue addressing the exigencies of networked learning we have described. Finally, the report offers a four-part framework to inform future research, design, and theory-building for the design of new employee experiences.

Toward entrepreneurial pedagogies: Rethinking professional networking as knowledge making

This paper offers initial suggestions for teaching professional social networking as a technical communication practice. Our guidelines build from recent qualitative research analyzing the networking relationships, practices, and technologies that support technical communication entrepreneurship. This research demonstrated how technical communication entrepreneurs perceive networking to be steeped in learning and sharing knowledge across professional and personal social fields. Based on what was learned from participants, we offer a model for and guidelines toward teaching networking as connected to knowledge sharing and building. This paper next offers an example assignment sequence from a masters level technical communication course focused on online information design. Through research and theory building, we suggest that instructors and students should understand professional social networking as a multilayered practice of learning and sharing collective knowledge.

Investigating Spheres of Influence in Communication Design: Comparing the Citation Practices of Research Faculty and Industry Leaders

Divides among academic knowledge and practitioner needs have been well documented in technical communication and related fields. However, the recent popularity of practitioner publications indicates a timely moment to reassess the relationships among academic and nonacademic influencers in emerging communication design knowledge. In this paper, we introduce initial findings from the first phase of an ongoing research project that analyzes citation practices in communication design publications. First, we created a sample of over 1500 citations from 30 recent peer-reviewed journal articles that treat emerging communication design themes. Next, we coded authors or author teams from the 30 original articles and the 1500 cited publications to identify whether each author or author team was comprised of academic research faculty, nonacademics, or both. Based on this analysis, we show that academic citations comprise just over 60 percent of the total number in our sample. While this is a clear majority, non-academic citations do frequently influence the shape of peer-reviewed work on emerging communication design themes. Based on our findings, we argue for extending citation analysis to a larger sample of peer-reviewed journal articles and different publications types (i.e., proceedings, books, trade magazines, blogs, social media conversations) in order to test our findings. We furthermore call for social network analysis (SNA) that can reveal more complex interconnections among academic researchers and industry or independent thought leaders around topics such as user experience, content management and strategy, and project management.

Review of "Rhetorical memory: A study of technical communication and information management by S. Whittemore", University of Chicago Press 2015

When working at different organizations, communication designers may come across “boutique knowledge,” or information that is valuable because it is not widely known to all employees. Such information is a part of most any organization, and is sometimes only accessible to the most experienced people that work for a company. However, in order to do a job well, learning how to access boutique knowledge is important, and so, in his book Rhetorical Memory, Stewart Whittemore argues communication designers need a strategy for doing so. Whittemore follows the work of a team of technical communicators at a company assigned the pseudonym “Software Unlimited.” He draws from a qualitative dataset to help readers understand the daily activities of his participants and how they manage information to support their work. The book also uses the dataset to explain how information management is made up of complex memory practices.

Fostering intercultural communication through transactional rhetoric: A problem-based service-learning model for professional and technical communication

This teaching case illustrates a service-learning model for professional and technical communication instructors that positions the students, the instructor, and the client into a dialogue to work toward understanding workplace culture through a problem-based learning project. In this model, the problem of communicating effectively unites course stakeholders to share their expertise and experiences with each other while clarifying and qualifying their ideas through regular interaction and discussion.

Participating in project management experiences in the workplace

This experience report demonstrates how a multinational software company attempted to train employees with a new project management software platform through the use of play. The report begins by briefly reviewing recent research on the role of play in workplace training. Second, the report explains how the company used play to train employees in a new project management platform. Third, the report describes a stalemate between some employees and management about using the new software and details how the confusion disrupted in the teams workflow. Last, the report reflects on ways a participatory dialogue can be used to make play a viable form of workplace training.

Mapping the Workspace of a Globally Distributed Agile Team

Collaborative activities have become an important consideration of contemporary workspace design, and this is especially in software development companies as teams work to innovate products and customer experiences. Meanwhile, globally distributed virtual teams have also grown more common, but collaborating across time zones presents a new set of challenge to navigate. To address some of these challenges, many organizations are also implementing more agile information design strategies. Architecting user-friendly work environments that support collaboration for globally distributed virtual teams practicing agile methodologies is not a simple task, however. This article reports results from a workplace study of a distributed team of information experience designers at a multinational software company as the team worked through reorganization of their internal processes and workflow. The case study illustrates which environmental design features caused disruptions and contradictions for the team as they participated in project work.