Journal of Business and Technical Communication Oct 2016

Surviving Outsourcing and Offshoring: Technical Communication Professionals in Search of a Future

Jenni Virtaluoto University of Oulu ; Annalisa Sannino University of Helsinki ; Yrjö Engeström University of Helsinki

Abstract

Major trends, such as outsourcing and offshoring, and field-specific factors, such as the advent of content management systems, have fundamentally changed technical communication in recent years. These changes have been widely discussed in the literature of the field, and this article traces their impact on technical communicators in Finland, a high-cost country where downturns in the export industry and the downsizing of major employers are currently coinciding. Through the framework of activity theory, the article looks at the historical changes in the industry as sources of tension and contradictions that need to be understood in order to support professionals in the industry. With the help of interview data, the authors explore the tensions experienced by technical communication professionals in the face of such changes. This analysis leads to the formulation of a hypothesis of historical contradictions currently at play in the field of technical communication. Developmental potentials stemming from these contradictions are outlined as potential ways forward for technical communicators who notice similar tensions in their own environments.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2016-10-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651916651908
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
genre theory technical communication
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Friess et al. (2023)
    Longitudinal Study of Usability and User Experience in Technical and Profession…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

References (45) · 6 in this index

  1. Abdallah K. (2005)
    Technical communication—International: Today and in the future
  2. Andersen (2014)
    Rhetorical Work in the Age of Content Management: Implications for the Field of…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Anschuetz L. (2002)
    Reshaping technical communication: New directions for the 21st century
  4. Aspray W. (2006)
    Globalization and offshoring of software: A report of the ACM migration taskforce
  5. Blakeslee et al. (2004)
    The State of Research in Technical Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 45 →
  1. Boch J. (2011)
    Technical Communication
  2. Bosley D. (2002)
    Reshaping technical communication: New directions for the 21st century
  3. Boyatzis R. E. (1998)
    Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development
  4. 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
     ↗
  5. Carliner S. (2009)
    Digital literacy for technical communication: 21st century theory and practice
  6. Conklin J. (2011)
    Qualitative research in technical communication
  7. 10.1111/j.1365-2929.2006.02418.x
     ↗
  8. Dicks R. S. (2009)
    Digital literacy for technical communication: 21st century theory and practice
  9. Engeström Y. (2005)
    Developmental work research: Expanding activity theory in practice
  10. 10.1017/CBO9780511619847
     ↗
  11. Engeström Y. (2015)
    Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research
  12. 10.1108/09534811111132758
     ↗
  13. Faber B. (2002)
    Reshaping technical communication: New directions and challenges for the 21st century
  14. Giammona B. A. (2011)
    Qualitative research in technical communication
  15. Hackos J. T. (2005)
    Technical Communication
  16. Hart H. (2011)
    Qualitative research in technical communication
  17. Hart-Davidson W. (2009)
    Digital literacy for technical communication: 21st century theory and practice
  18. Hayhoe G. F. (2005)
    Technical Communication
  19. Hennig J. (2005)
    Technical communication—international: Today and in the future
  20. 10.1177/1049732305276687
     ↗
  21. 10.1108/01443571211230934
     ↗
  22. 10.1016/j.pursup.2009.05.007
     ↗
  23. 10.1057/jittc.2012.7
     ↗
  24. Kuutti K. (1996)
    Context and consciousness: Activity theory and human computer interaction
  25. 10.1109/IPCC.2013.6623941
     ↗
  26. Lee M. F. (2000)
    Technical Communication
  27. Malone E. A. (2011)
    Technical Communication
  28. 10.4324/9781410603739
     ↗
  29. Rainey K. T. (2005)
    Technical communication international: Today and in the future
  30. Schriver K. A. (1997)
    Dynamics in document design
  31. Slattery (2007)
    Undistributing Work Through Writing: How Technical Writers Manage Texts in Comp…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  32. Spilka R. (2002)
    Reshaping technical communication: New directions and challenges for the 21st century
  33. 10.4324/9780203866115
     ↗
  34. 10.1145/344599.344646
     ↗
  35. Spinuzzi (2007)
    Guest Editor's Introduction: Technical Communication in the Age of Distributed Work
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  36. Spinuzzi (2007)
    Guest Editor's Introduction: Technical Communication in the Age of Distributed Work
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  37. Starke-Meyerring et al. (2007)
    Global Partnerships: Positioning Technical Communication Programs in the Contex…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  38. Sullivan P. (2011)
    Qualitative research in technical communication
  39. Suojanen T. (2000). Technical communication research: Dissemination, reception, utilization. Unpublished lice…
  40. Van Laan K. (2001)
    The complete idiot’s guide to technical writing
CrossRef global citation count: 7 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Prompt: A Journal of Academic Writing Assignments Jan 2026
    A Murder Most Technical: Gamification, AI, and Rhetorical Genre Studies in the Technical Writing Classroom ↗
    Justin Cook
    genre theory writing pedagogy service learning teacher development argument collaborative writing technical communication professional writing
  2. Pedagogy Oct 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy advanced composition creative writing writing across the curriculum graduate education two-year college service learning teacher development technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions archival research multimodality artificial intelligence literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies literary studies editorial matter
  3. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Jun 2025
    Presenting and Making Relevant: Analyzing Teaching Assistant Perceptions of Writing in Statistics Using Semantic Frames ↗
    Ben Markey
    rhetorical criticism genre theory discourse analysis graduate education teacher development assessment technical communication professional writing
  4. Technical Communication Quarterly Oct 2024
    ’F---- Shark Tank:’ Rethinking the Centrality of the Business Pitch in Microenterprise Entrepreneurship ↗
    Mason T. Pellegrini
    rhetorical criticism genre theory graduate education technical communication professional writing qualitative research race and writing affect and writing editorial matter
  5. Technical Communication Quarterly Apr 2024
    Navigating Genres in Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Doctoral Programs ↗
    Sara Doody
    genre theory writing pedagogy graduate education teacher development technical communication