Technical Communication Quarterly Oct 2006

Using Writing to Structure Agency: An Examination of Engineers' Practice

Dorothy Winsor

Abstract

A longitudinal study of four engineers shows that moving into positions of authority and responsibility allows them to claim agency within the structure of the organization. However, that structure is less stable than it first appears, and they use writing to try to establish it in a way that will allow them to achieve their goals. Agency seems to consist of the conjunction of discursively established positions in the organization and participants' taking organizational intents as their own.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2006-10-01
DOI
10.1207/s15427625tcq1504_1
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Closed
Topics
empirical research
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (25)

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  18. Graham (2009)
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  19. Koerber et al. (2008)
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