Leadership Discourse in Action: A Textual Study of Organizational Change in a Government of Canada Department

Claire Harrison; Lynne Young

doi:10.1177/1050651904269730

Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jan 2005

Leadership Discourse in Action: A Textual Study of Organizational Change in a Government of Canada Department

Claire Harrison ; Lynne Young Carleton University

Abstract

This article examines two discursive events during a major reorganization at Health Canada in 2000: a new leader’s informal speech to senior managers and his first formal memo to staff. Seen through the dual lens of systemic functional linguistics and critical discourse analysis, these events provide a perspective on the role of discourse in institutional settings. The events particularly illustrate the ways in which a leader’s discursive choices demonstrate conflicts between management styles: the command-and-control style of the old capitalism and that of the new capitalism, which defines the leader as a coach, mentor, facilitator, and motivator rather than as a commander. Unpacking leadership discourse can shed some light on how concealed messages contribute to the success or failure of discursive events, specifically at a time of organizational transformation when such discursive events are particularly important.

Journal: Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published: 2005-01-01
DOI: 10.1177/1050651904269730
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Open Access: Closed
Topics: discourse analysis
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Leadership Discourse in Action: A Textual Study of Organizational Change in a Government of Canada Department

Abstract

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References (30) · 1 in this index

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