Discourse Analysis

And The Workplace

By: Cori Nur Isa (18211141001)

Siriam (18211141011)
Harumingga Ogustaria (182111023)
 Current Research on Spoken Workplace Discourse

In the brief note of methodology, the research discuss on workplace discourse

in three broad categories:

1. Different types of workplace interaction

2. Two well-established, broad dimensions of analysis-power and solidarity
3. Two areas of social variation, gender and ethnicity in the workplace
 Different types of workplace interaction
Meetings  the structure of the opening and closing
Service encounters  bookshops, hair salons, supermarkets
Occupational genres  auctioneers, sportscasters, weather forecasters and the structural features
of airline pilot talk.
 Power and Solidarity in
Workplace Interaction
Consideration of the power dimension in workplace discourse analysis.
• Good management entails getting people to do things at work.

In making solidarity humor plays a very important role

 Gender and Ethnicity
Gender

Both women and men operate within the constraints of overarching society-wide behavioural norms
and expectations in constructing their gender identity in the workplace.

The pervasive power of gender norms is particularly evident when the spotlight is turned on those
contesting them in some way.

Example:
Male-dominated occupations such as IT and engineering.
Women-dominated occupations such as nursing and education.
Ethnicity

Ethnic values emphasize the norms.

Enacting leadership in ways consistent with a particular cultural attitudes and norms.

Ethnic values underpin the guidelines or norms which influence the way people interact

Ethnicity is regarded as a dynamic and active process in interaction

Ethnicity acts as a crucial for interpreting ethnic values or norms which influence the way people
interact, and the ways in which they construct their identity
 New issues on workplace discourse :
1. Structure of talk in negotiation

A process in which one individual try to persuade another to alter ideas or behavior.

A process in which at least two partner with different needs and viewpoints try to reach agreement
on matters of mutual interest.

For example : bussiness negotiation/meeting negotiation.

2. Small talk

Essential for interpersonal communications protocol.

Remember the purpose of small talk is to build relationships. It is not a time for arguing or
disagreement.

It is about common conversation for everyday things.

Weather, Traffic, Travel - stay with mostly favorable experiences, Books, Current events, The arts are
appropriate topics provided .
3. Construction of professional identities

It concerns group interactions in the workplace and relates to how people compare and differentiate
themselves from other professional groups.

Workers from different majors develop a range of beliefs and attitudes about their professions that make them
distinguishable.

It is a systematic way of evaluating, identifying and organizing the perception of self (Erikson, 1968).
4. Email and written discourse in workplace

For the discourse structure of email discussions, and the suitability of Conversation Analysis,
the analysis of email discussion data can be used.

Naturally occurring email discussion data from publicly available archives could be collected.

The main difference from spoken conversation and email is the absence of priority for speaker
selection, such that any speaker can self-select at any time; as a result, turn-taking can be
investigated in workplace.
Thank You
Class Activity

1. What's the difference in Asian business meeting and Western business meeting?
2. Please explain by your own word about ‘what is construction professional identities mean?
and give an example!
3. Describe the good side and the darkside of workplace humour!