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Chapter 24—Critical Theory of Communication in Organizations

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Title:
The Devil Wears Prada
Claim:
Managerial control is gained by overt strategy and employees' unwitting consent
Application:
At dinner with her father, Andy recounts the ways her boss Miranda demands total obedience, and admits she complies with whatever Miranda orders because she believes it’s in her own best interest to do so. Through the conversation with her Dad, she realizes it’s not.
Cue Point:
27:20-34:20, Andy's dinner with her father
Discovered  By:
Em

Title:
"The Bobby Knight Problem," The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, Christianity Today
Claim:
Manageralism, consent, and discursive closure
Application:
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill is a podcast that describes the explosive popularity of Mark Driscoll's Seattle church, and how that church came to a sudden and tragic end. This episode reflects on what the host calls "The Bobby Knight Problem," a reference to NCAA men's basketball head coach Bobby Knight and his abusive behavior at Indiana University. The whole episode is relevant, but the highlighted segment particularly discusses how organizations invest in charismatic leaders despite their flaws, maintain control over their institutional image, and silence dissent. This resonates with Deetz' description of managerialism, consent, and discursive closure.
Link:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6eRNFg87nfD5UT42pvmOYh?si=e6ea046a89154c0a
Cue Point:
Much of the episode is relevant, but listen especially to 31:31-40:50
Discovered  By:
Andrew

Title:
"Stan Deetz - How a Collaboration is Different from Involvement", Gonzaga Mentor Gallery
Claim:
Involvement, which is stakeholders' free expression of ideas, is different than participation, or having power in making the decision.
Application:
In this interview, Deetz explains how involvement is different than participation (called "collaboration" in the interview). He does so with a potent hypothetical regarding how we could do political debates differently.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFO-gYixEPA
Discovered  By:
Andrew

Title:
The Office, S7, E24, "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager"
Claim:
Strategy is a corporate decision-making strrategy that involves overt managerial moves to extend control.
Application:
In this episode, Dwight has become acting manager of Dunder Mifflin. His policies and actions to control his subordinates are over-the-top, parodying the managerialism that occurs in some real-life workplaces. As Deetz indicates, his subordinates are well aware of these power moves, which produces both dissatisfaction and the desire to ignore Dwight's rules.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPeV5NvaAfI
Discovered  By:
Andrew

Title:
"Canadian Video Game Creators Face Gruelling 'Crunch' Hours", CBC News: The National
Claim:
Consent is the process by which employees actively, though unknowingly, accomplsih managerial interests in a faulty attempt to fulfill their own.
Application:
The video game industry has been criticized for "crunch time," or a season of intense overtime hours (sometimes not paid) before the release of a game. This news story highlights the experience of one worker who experienced burnout after working long hours every day of the week. This video, along with another about South Korean game development (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N5jpZp4q4Q), points out that the drive and interest of employees feeds this labor practice. Deetz would say that these workers think they are fulfilling their own interests when they are contributing to the large profits of video game companies.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-pQUocvE4Y
Discovered  By:
Andrew

Title:
"My Tears Ricochet", Taylor Swift, Folklore
Claim:
Consent is the process by which employees actively, though unknowingly, accomplsih managerial interests in a faulty attempt to fulfill their own.
Application:
This song might sound like it is describing the funeral of an ex-lover, but the deeper layer of meaning is this: Taylor is critiquing music industry practices that favor management and disempower artists. She’s particularly concerned about practices like the contract she signed as a young artist, a contract that seems to be in her favor but wasn’t. Deetz might label that “consent,” and instead, Taylor seems to want something more akin to stakeholder democracy (participation).
Link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1MgV7FIyNxIG7WzMRJV5HC?si=586bef7e966b4705
Discovered  By:
Andrew

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