Managerial Communication, Classical Dialectic, and the Applied Liberal Arts

Abstract

This article examines the often-overlooked role played by classical dialectics in managerial discourse, highlighting its enduring relevance in business communication instruction. Through comparative analysis, the article shows how Peter F. Drucker’s management theories draw on classical dialectics and how an applied liberal arts approach can inform interpersonal workplace dialogue and strengthen managerial effectiveness. The analysis suggests that, through the Druckerian lens, classical dialectic effectively bridges practical wisdom ( phronesis ) and action ( praxis ) in management. The article concludes that incorporating classical dialectics into business communication curricula and training can enhance modern management education.

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2025-08-13
DOI
10.1177/23294906251358388
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
Export

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (43) · 1 in this index

  1. Dialectic
  2. The art of rhetoric
  3. The arts of learning and communication
  4. Letters
  5. 10.1017/beq.2017.31
Show all 43 →
  1. Leadership conversations: Challenging high potential leaders to become great leaders
  2. Talk: The science of conversation and the art of being ourselves
  3. 10.1177/108056997904200307
  4. 10.1525/9780520341715
  5. Dealing with difficult people. (2018). Harvard Business Review Press.
  6. The new realities
  7. 10.2307/41165987
  8. The effective executive: The definitive guide to getting the right things done
  9. Management
  10. The Socratic method: A practitioner’s handbook
  11. Getting to yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in
  12. Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  13. Rhetorical theory and praxis in the business communication classroom
  14. Leadership is conversation
    Harvard Business Review
  15. 10.1007/s10551-019-04244-2
  16. 10.1177/108056999605900309
  17. Having difficult conversations. (2025). Harvard Business Review Press.
  18. We need to talk: How to have conversations that matter
  19. 10.1108/MBE-06-2018-0035
  20. The trivium in college composition and reading
  21. 10.1108/17511341211188628
  22. The discarded image
  23. 10.1002/ltl.20648
  24. Thinking in systems: A primer
  25. 10.1108/02621711011059040
  26. 10.1177/1470593114534342
  27. New World Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Dialectic. In New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 1 2025 from https://ww…
  28. 10.2307/j.ctvpj73nm
  29. 10.5465/amle.2002.7373679
  30. Plato. (2003). Phaedrus (Scully S., Trans.). Focus / Hackett Publishing.
    Phaedrus
  31. Practical wisdom, the (not so) secret ingredient for responsible knowledge management
    VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems
  32. 10.1007/s10551-019-04328-z
  33. 10.2307/2392581
  34. 10.5465/amle.2007.26361625
  35. 10.1108/JBIM-07-2022-0333
  36. Never split the difference: Negotiating as if your life depended on it
  37. 10.1108/MRR-01-2013-0018
  38. 10.1007/s10551-014-2314-5