Technical Communication Quarterly Mar 1993

Collaboration across multiple organizational cultures

Rachel Spilka Purdue University West Lafayette

Abstract

More than ever before, workplace professionals are facing the challenge of collaborating regularly and effectively with those situated in social contexts quite different from their own. Yet, knowledge of the rhetorical processes and social dimensions characterizing this type of collaboration remains scant and inadequate. This essay takes the stance that if rhetoricians hope to make significant strides forward in understanding writing that takes place both within and external to a single workplace culture, they will need to develop a much more expansive, complex, and sophisticated vision of collaboration across multiple organizational cultures. It suggests how, to accomplish this goal, rhetoricians might build on the strengths and overcome the limitations of past scholarship in organizational and related studies and in rhetoric, and it introduces new directions these scholars might take and new questions they might explore in future investigations in this area of inquiry.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
1993-03-01
DOI
10.1080/10572259309364529
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism collaborative writing
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (9)

  1. Axelrod (2025)
    Improving Proposal Writing by Looking to Information Operations
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Bremner et al. (2014)
    Task Design and Interaction in Collaborative Writing: The Students’ Story
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  3. Friess (2013)
    “Bring the Newbie Into the Fold”: Politeness Strategies of Newcomers and Existi…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Friess (2011)
    Politeness, Time Constraints, and Collaboration in Decision-Making Meetings: A …
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Gooch (2005)
    The Dynamics and Challenges of Interdisciplinary Collaboration: A Case Study of…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Show all 9 →
  1. Nelson (2003)
    Engineering and technology student perceptions of collaborative writing practices
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Thompson (2001)
    Collaboration in technical communication: a qualitative content analysis of jou…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  3. Kent-Drury (2000)
    Bridging boundaries, negotiating differences: the nature of leadership in cross…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. MIREL et al. (1995)
    Collaboration between Writers and Graphic Designers in Documentation Projects
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication

References (45) · 4 in this index

  1. Adams J. Stacy (1976)
    Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology
  2. 10.1177/105065198700100206
     ↗
  3. 10.2307/2391595
     ↗
  4. 10.1037/0021-9010.67.5.653
     ↗
  5. 10.2307/2392513
     ↗
Show all 45 →
  1. Bosley (1993)
    Cross‐cultural collaboration: Whose culture is it, anyway?
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. (1991)
    Technical Communication
  3. Brett Jeanne M. (1986)
    Designing Effective Work Groups
  4. Burnett Rebecca E. (1991)
    Technical Communication
  5. Debs Mary Beth (1989)
    Technical Writing: Theory and Practice
  6. (1991)
    Techni‐cal Communication
  7. Doheny‐Farina Stephen (1992)
    Rhetoric, Innovation, Technology: Case Studies of Technical Communication in Technology T…
  8. Ede Lisa (1990)
    Single Texts/Plural Authors: Perspectives on Collaborative Writing
  9. Faigley Lester (1985)
    Writing in Nonacademic Settings
  10. Hage J. (1974)
    Communication and Organizational Control: Cybernetics in Health and Welfare Settings
  11. HARRISON (1987)
    Frameworks for the Study of Writing in Organizational Contexts
    Written Communication
  12. Jablin Fredric M. (1987)
    Handbook of Communication Science
  13. Karis William (1991)
    Technical Communication
  14. Klauss Rudi (1982)
    Interpersonal Communication in Organizations
  15. Kleimann Susan (1993)
    Writing in the Workplace : New Research Perspectives
  16. 10.2307/2392301
     ↗
  17. Lincoln J. R. (1982)
    Research in the Sociology of Organizations
  18. 10.2307/2390723
     ↗
  19. Mathes J. C. (1989)
    Worlds of Writing
  20. Mohr Lawrence B. (1982)
    Explaining Organisational Behavior
  21. Monge Peter R. (1987)
    Handbook of Communication Science
  22. 10.1111/j.1460-2466.1984.tb02983.x
     ↗
  23. Negandhi Anant R. (1975)
    Interorganization Theory
  24. Negandhi Anant R. (1975)
    Interorganization Theory
  25. Odell Lee (1985)
    Writing in Nonacademic Settings
  26. Olsen Leslie (1993)
    Writing in the Workplace: New Research Perspectives
  27. Pacanowsky Michael E. (1982)
    10.1080/10570318209374072
    Western Journal of Speech Communication  ↗
  28. Roloff Michael E. (1987)
    Handbook of Communication Science
  29. Ross et al. (1991)
    Communicating in public policy matters: addressing the problem of non-congruent…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  30. Schein Edgar H. (1985)
    Organizational Culture and Leadership
  31. 10.2307/2392246
     ↗
  32. Spilka Rachel (1993)
    Writing in the Workplace: New Research Perspectives
  33. Spilka (1990)
    Orality and Literacy in the Workplace: Process- and Text-Based Strategies for M…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  34. _____. 1988. “Adapting Discourse to Multiple Audiences: Invention Strategies of Seven Corporate Engineers.”. …
  35. Sullivan Patricia (1991)
    Technical Communication
  36. Sypher Beverly D. (1985)
    Communication, Culture, and Organisational Processes
  37. Triandis Harry C. (1987)
    Handbook of Organizational Communication
  38. 10.2307/2392402
     ↗
  39. 10.2307/2392941
     ↗
  40. 10.2307/2392227
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 12 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Computers and Composition Jun 2026
    Legacies, commitments, and new challenges: The Sweetland Digital Rhetoric Collaborative interviews three generations of Computers and Composition editors ↗
    Ali Alalem; Alyse Campbell; Thais Rodrigues Cons; Funmilola Fadairo; Nicole Koyuki Golden
    rhetorical criticism collaborative writing digital rhetoric
  2. Written Communication May 2026
    Tuning In: Rhetorical Attunement as a Methodological Practice for Collaborative Research ↗
    Amber Hedquist; Liliana Caughman; Claire Lauer
    rhetorical criticism collaborative writing
  3. Argumentation Feb 2026
    When Emmanuel Macron Goes Social: Using Social Media Influencers as a Rhetorical Strategy ↗
    Keren Sadoun-Kerber
    rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument collaborative writing social media affect and writing
  4. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Dec 2025
    Designing Business Communications in a Disrupted Workplace ↗
    Deborah C. Andrews
    rhetorical criticism collaborative writing professional writing multimodality
  5. Philosophy & Rhetoric Oct 2025
    The Intellectual and Cultural Origins of Chaïm Perelman and Lucie Olbrechts-Tyteca’s New Rhetoric Project: Commentaries on and Translations of Seven Foundational Articles, 1933–1958 ↗
    Christopher W. Tindale
    classical rhetoric modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory discourse analysis revision argument collaborative writing editorial matter