Ronald E. Dulek

Crisis Response Communication Challenges Building Theory From Qualitative Data

This article reports results of a qualitative study that examined communication challenges decision makers experience during the response stage of crisis management. Response is perhaps the most critical of the three stages (prevention, response, recovery) identified in crisis research literature. Response is the point when crisis managers make decisions that may save lives and mitigate the effects of the crisis. Actions at this point also significantly influence public opinion about the crisis and an organizations handling of the event. This study provides additional insight into the complexities of the response stage through analysis of 26 interviews conducted with crisis decision makers involved in 15 organizational crises. Ten additional crises were analyzed through secondary data sources. The result of these analyses is the identification and explication of four crisis response steps: observation, interpretation, choice, and dissemination.

A Reassessment of Clarity in Written Managerial Communications

Current thinking about effective written communication does not systematically assess the complex role that language plays in organizations. This article calls for a contingency view of communication clarity and effectiveness based on the impact that an organizations language customs have on perceived effectiveness. To justify this need for a contingency approach, we examine the psychological-social function of organizational language and discuss the role that language has in creating new knowledge in organizations.

On the Dark Side of Strategic Communication

Although clarity holds a privileged place within the field of business/management/corporate communication, adopting a strategic perspective suggests that ambiguity, and even deception, may be appropriate choices, depending on strategic intent. This article builds a framework for analyzing the dark side of strategic communication from both a strategic perspective and a linguistic perspective and then applies it to four business scenarios involving corporate finance; three involve public pronouncements from executives about future stock offerings, while the fourth involves a private statement made by a CEO to an important client and reported to the authors in an interview. The analysis of these scenarios leads the authors to propose that the intentional use of strategic ambiguity occurs along a continuum better represented by multiple shades of gray than a single hue of black.

How to use bottom-line writing in corporate communications

Abstract Efficient writing, or what the authors call bottom-line writing, results from writers telling the reader immediately what is their purpose in writing and what they expect of the reader. Inefficient, non-bottom-line writing does just the opposite. It displays a relentless use of discursive, circuitous organizational patterns.

An Empirical Assessment of Style: Trained and Untrained Students' Responses

This article presents results of a study to determine whether 878 undergraduate students can notice and correctly label stylistic differences between passages. The student sample consisted of two groups: trained (students who had completed a course in business communications) and untrained (students who had not completed such a course). The findings show that both groups are able to perceive stylistic differences one-half of the time and that trained students have a slight edge over untrained students with respect to labeling passages correctly.

Leading by Tweeting Are Deans Doing It? An Exploratory Analysis of Tweets by SEC Business School Deans

This study examines the extent to which the leaders of business schools engage with Twitter to reach diverse audiences, the possible links between Twitter usage and the ranking of the Dean’s respective business college, and the linguistic/stylistic approaches adopted. We employed sentiment analysis to examine the linguistic approaches among the various tweets from the Dean’s account. The findings of the study suggest speaking at stakeholders from a public microblog may not be the most effective way to connect with them. Notwithstanding, biological and cognitive constraints limit the economy of attention and relationships in an online world.

On Networking, Friends, Research, Respect, and Diversity: The Insights of Margaret Graham

At the outset, let me state that I am honored and pleased to serve as respondent to Marty Graham’s excellent research assessment. I am honored because a few years ago, when Marty stood for promotion at Iowa State, I had the opportunity to serve as an external reviewer of her candidacy. After examining this record, I can assure you that Marty’s accomplishments extend far beyond what she has contributed to the Association for Business Communication (ABC). Iowa State is fortunate to have her as a faculty member. I am pleased to do this response for a rather selfish reason as well. Stated simply, I enjoy reading and talking about this “stuff.” In particular, I enjoy examining research trends in business communication and the association’s accomplishments, roles, and contributions within those areas. Doing this response permitted me to have a preseason peek into the insights Marty planned to share with us on these topics. The fruit of this analysis is that I had the opportunity to pluck a number of insights from Marty’s presentation. I will focus this response on the two that I think are most important to us as researchers within the ABC. Marty’s first point, and she is too dignified to state it so bluntly, but it is exactly what she means, can be summarized in two words: Networking sucks! A recent plethora of articles in the Harvard Business Review as well as other applied business outlets advocate building professional networks. These articles suggest various strategies for doing so and, in the process, dehumanize the concept of friendship and respect for individuals. Stated another way, these articles frame people as objects: tools to be used for one’s own self-serving ends. A recent article by Uzzi and Dunlap (2005), in fact, goes so far as to not just advocate using others for networking purposes but to tell others that you are doing so. The driver

What is effective business writing

Abstract How do you rate as an effective business writer? This self-test will tell you how you are doing—and why.

Instituting Cultural Change at a Major Organization: A Case Study

This article examines the development and implementation of a strategic cultural change program from a case study perspective. Initially, the article describes how the program was developed, including an explanation as to how a communication component was integrated into the program from inception. This integration helped reduce the anxiety that change programs traditionally initiate. Additionally, the article examines preliminary findings captured during the program’s implementation. These findings provide generalized insights about ways communication, strategy, and cultural change programs interact. As such, the findings provide real-world support that communication facilitates organizational change.

Application letters: A neglected area in the job search

Abstract The application letter is often lost in the quest for the perfect resume. But a clear, detailed application letter can clear the road to interviews and job offers.