Journal of Business and Technical Communication Oct 2003

Reconceptualizing Politeness to Accommodate Dynamic Tensions in Subordinate-to-Superior Reporting

Priscilla S. Rogers University of Michigan–Ann Arbor ; Song Mei Lee-Wong Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Abstract

This research provides a framework identifying dynamic tensions that occur as subordinates try to maintain a sufficient degree of politeness while reporting to superiors on workplace tasks. Building on politeness theory, the framework suggests how conventional politeness dimensions, such as deference, solidarity, and non-imposition are challenged by organizational obligations and workplace tasks requiring confidence, direction, and individuality. The framework evolved from a series of analyses of two samples: one consisting of e-mail between international project teams and their domestically located supervisors, the other of Asian and U.S. business undergraduates' responses to two workplace scenarios involving critiquing a superior's work. Analyses revealed competing communicative dimensions relevant to subordinate-to-superior interactions, including dimensions that are underdeveloped in politeness literature. Examples from these data suggest that managing a sufficient equilibrium between these dimensions requires a substantial knowledge of rhetorical and linguistic alternatives.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2003-10-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651903255401
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism digital rhetoric
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

  1. Westerman et al. (2015)
    Opening a Performance Dialogue With Employees: Facework, Voice, and Silence
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Lam (2011)
    Linguistic Politeness in Student-Team Emails: Its Impact on Trust Between Leade…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  3. Friess (2011)
    Politeness, Time Constraints, and Collaboration in Decision-Making Meetings: A …
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Schaefer (2010)
    Response-to-Complaint Letter as a Rhetorical Genre
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  5. Ding (2006)
    An Indirect Style in Business Communication
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication

References (52) · 7 in this index

  1. Bhawuk, D. & Triandis, H. (1996). The role of culture theory in the study of culture and intercultural traini…
  2. 10.1016/0378-2166(87)90192-5
     ↗
  3. Brown, R. & Gilman, A. (1991). Politeness theory and Shakespeare's four major tragedies. Language in Society,…
     ↗
  4. Brown, P. & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge U…
     ↗
  5. 10.1177/002194369403100403
     ↗
Show all 52 →
  1. DiSalvo, V. (1980). A summary of current research identifying communication skills in various organizational …
     ↗
  2. DiSalvo, V. & Larsen, J. K. (1987). A contingency approach to communication skill importance: The impact of o…
     ↗
  3. 10.1016/0378-2166(90)90081-N
     ↗
  4. Fraser, B. & Nolen, W. (1981). The association of deference with linguistic form. International Journal of So…
     ↗
  5. Goffman, E. (1967). Interaction ritual: Essays on face-to-face behavior. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books.
  6. 10.2307/2095141
     ↗
  7. GRAHAM (1998)
    Administrative Writing: Bringing Context to Pedagogy
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  8. GRAHAM et al. (1996)
    Power and Politeness: Administrative Writing in an “Organized Anarchy”
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  9. Grice, P. (1975). Logic and conversation. In P. Cole & J. Morgan (Eds.), Syntax and semantics (Vol. 3, pp. 41…
  10. HAGGE et al. (1989)
    Linguistic Politeness in Professional Prose: A Discourse Analysis of Auditors' …
    Written Communication
  11. Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond culture. New York: Anchor/Doubleday.
  12. Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture's consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills,…
  13. Hubler, A. (1983). Understatements and hedges in English. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
     ↗
  14. Jablin, F. M., Cude, R. L., House, A., Lee, J. & Roth, N. L. (1994). Communication competence in organization…
  15. Janis, I. L. (1973). Victims of groupthink. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
  16. Lakoff, R. T. (1990). Talking power: The politics of language. New York: Basic Books.
  17. Lariviere, E. (1989). Writing skills in business: Implications for teachers of technical writing. The Technic…
  18. Lawler, J. A., Zaidi, M. & Atmiyanandana, V. (1989). Human resource strategies in Southeast Asia: The case of…
  19. Leech, G. N. (1983). Principles of pragmatics. London: Longman.
  20. Lee-Wong, S. M. (2000). Politeness and face in Chinese culture. New York: Peter Lang.
  21. 10.1177/0893318988002001006
     ↗
  22. Locker (1999)
    Factors in Reader Responses to Negative Letters: Experimental Evidence for Chan…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  23. Lucy, J. (1996). The scope of linguistic relativity: An analysis and review of empirical research. In J. J. G…
  24. McCORD (1991)
    The Business Writer, the Law, and Routine Business Communication: A Legal and R…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  25. Monge, P., Bachman, S. G., Dillard, J. P. & Eisenberg, E. M. (1982). Communicator competence in the workplace…
     ↗
  26. 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(200005)21:3<235::AID-JOB9>3.0.CO;2-N
     ↗
  27. Perlman, A. M. (1981). Some linguistic components of tone. Technical Communication, 28, 211-219.
  28. 10.1177/002194369102800303
     ↗
  29. Riley, K. (1988). Conversational implicature and unstated meaning in professional communication. The Technica…
  30. 10.1177/002194360103800201
     ↗
  31. 10.1177/002194369002700305
     ↗
  32. Scollon, R. & Scollon, S. W. (1995). Intercultural communication: A discourse approach. Cambridge, UK: Basil …
  33. Schryer (2000)
    Walking a Fine Line: Writing Negative Letters in an Insurance Company
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  34. Searle, J. R. (1975). Indirect speech acts. In P. Cole & J. Morgan (Eds.), Syntax and semantics (Vol. 3, pp. …
     ↗
  35. 10.1177/002194369503200401
     ↗
  36. Shwom, B. L. (1990, March). Why bad news letters fail: An argument for going beyond the formula. Paper presen…
  37. Sriussadaporn-Charoenngam, N. & Jablin, F. M. (1999). An exploratory study of communication competence in Tha…
     ↗
  38. Suchan, J. & Dulek, R. (1988). Toward a better understanding of reader analysis. Journal of Business Communic…
     ↗
  39. 10.1177/0957926595006002005
     ↗
  40. Takahara, K. (1986). Politeness in English, Japanese and Spanish. In J. H. Koo & R. N. St. Clair (Eds.), Cros…
  41. Thatcher (2001)
    Issues of Validity in Intercultural Professional Communication Research
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  42. Timmons, T. C. (1988). Consulting in an insurance company: What we as academics can learn. The Technical Writ…
  43. Ting-Toomey, S. (1994). Upward and downward influence tactics in managerial networks. Asia Pacific Journal of…
  44. Van Waes, L. & van Wijk, C. (2000-2001). The influence of politeness on the perception of product recall noti…
     ↗
  45. 10.1016/0378-2166(85)90023-2
     ↗
  46. Yli-Jokipii, H. (1994). Requests in professional discourse: A cross-cultural study of B…
  47. 10.1177/0893318996010002001
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 34 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. Res Rhetorica Jan 2026
    Review/Recenzja: Nancy Organ. 2024. Data Visualization for People of All Ages. Oxon: CRC Press; and Jen Christiansen. 2023. Building Science Graphics: An Illustrated Guide to Communicating Science Through Diagrams and Visualizations. Oxon: CRC Press ↗
    Ewa Modrzejewska
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism discourse analysis digital rhetoric multimodality grammar and mechanics race and writing book reviews
  3. Rhetoric Society Quarterly Jan 2026
    The Paradigmatic Aftermath of Digital Rhetoric ↗
    Caddie Alford
    rhetorical criticism digital rhetoric
  4. Communication Design Quarterly Sep 2025
    Review of "Queer Techné: Bodies, Rhetoric, and Desire in the History of Computing by Patricia Fancher," Fancher P. (2024). Queer techné: Bodies, rhetoric, and desire in the history of computing. National Council of Teachers of English. ↗
    Thomas Gurinskas
    rhetorical criticism technical communication professional writing archival research digital rhetoric gender and writing book reviews
  5. Pedagogy Apr 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism african american rhetorics cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy basic writing graduate education two-year college teacher development writing centers technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions digital rhetoric multimodality social media literacy studies race and writing gender and writing community literacy literary studies editorial matter