Meeting Minutes as Symbolic Action

Abstract

Postmodern assumptions employed by some organizational theorists recognize that “administrators' greater power lies not in their ability to control resources but in their ability to manipulate symbols—the ceremonies, rituals, images, and language of the organization” (Graham and David 9). Thus, even a genre that is often considered neutral and objective, such as meeting minutes, can become a tool of managerial control. This article presents data from an ethnographic case study that describes how an administrator in a theater organization manipulated language by using the minutes from a board of directors meeting to influence board members to vote to disband the organization.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
1998-04-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651998012002002
Open Access
Closed
Topics

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Cites in this index (3)

  1. Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Written Communication
  3. Written Communication
Also cites 2 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.1080/00335638409383686
  2. 10.2307/2393771
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