The thought-provoking, timely second edition continues to offer a comprehensive, global perspective on organizational communication. The authors' multinational experience, consulting and teaching expertise, enthusiasm for their subject, and engaging style of writing create an inviting foundation for the exploration of this multifaceted topic. Each chapter demonstrates the practicality of theory and how practice contributes to the development of theory, while challenging readers to build on established knowledge to develop new approaches to the pressing problems in complex, multicultural organizations.
The text is organized topically around the most important issues in organizational communication. Five themes recur throughout the chapters: the interdependence of internal and external forms of organizational communication, the "disciplinarity" and multidisciplinarity of organizational communication, global and multicultural perspectives of organizational communication, the unity of theory and practice, and critical thinking in the analysis of organizational messages and discourses.
Discussions highlight language and symbolism. The authors weave analysis of the multiple levels of messages throughout the chapters; stimulate critical thinking about contemporary work and organizational life; approach the familiar as unfamiliar; ask probing questions about commonly accepted practices; and offer more imaginative ways of working together. Readers gain an appreciation for the social, political, economic, technological, and ideological contexts in organizations---and the place of organizations within the broader culture. The authors lead by example in encouraging readers to think about, talk about, and experience organizational communication in entirely new ways.
"Organizational Communication in an Age of Globalization makes an important, refreshing, new contribution to the study, teaching, and application of organizational communication. As one of the few textbooks to provide a comprehensive and self-reflexive global perspective on organizational communication, it offers teachers and students new insights into the opportunities and challenges of communicating in today s complex, multicultural organizations.
Steven May, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
"These authors have crafted a must read for students of organizational communication! With an impressive research translation, it covers the field in a way that is practical, timely and, most of all, thought provoking. I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the central role that communication plays in the ways that organizations build, maintain and change themselves."
Gail Fairhurst, University of Cincinnati
"One of the greatest strengths of this textbook is the multinational, diverse, and outstanding teaching, researching, and practice experiences of the four authors. It is indeed an organizational communication textbook with an international scope. The reading of each chapter has been a relearning experience for me on issues that I have been teaching for many years. Each section in each chapter is discussed with such a depth and novelty in terms of perspectives that I could not stop the reading."
Federico Varona, San José State University
"This book clearly fills a gap. Cheney et al. have managed to write a highly readable and engaging text that not only presents theory in ways understandable to students but also challenges them to think past already developed solutions to what might be needed in the near future and beyond. The style of writing is captivating and the content is superb!"
Patrice Buzzanell, Purdue University
