ebook img

Exploring Power Through Co-Cultural Theory PDF

184 Pages·2016·0.92 MB·English
by  
Save to my drive
Quick download
Download
Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.

Preview Exploring Power Through Co-Cultural Theory

TThhee UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff SSoouutthheerrnn MMiissssiissssiippppii TThhee AAqquuiillaa DDiiggiittaall CCoommmmuunniittyy Dissertations Fall 12-1-2012 EEmmppllooyyeeee RRaacciiaall DDiissccrriimmiinnaattiioonn CCoommppllaaiinnttss:: EExxpplloorriinngg PPoowweerr TThhrroouugghh CCoo--CCuullttuurraall TThheeoorryy Leslie Yvette Rodriguez University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn Rodriguez, Leslie Yvette, "Employee Racial Discrimination Complaints: Exploring Power Through Co- Cultural Theory" (2012). Dissertations. 599. https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/599 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of Southern Mississippi EMPLOYEE RACIAL DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINTS: EXPLORING POWER THROUGH CO-CULTURAL THEORY by Leslie Yvette Rodriguez Abstract of a Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2012 ABSTRACT EMPLOYEE RACIAL DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINTS: EXPLORING POWER THROUGH CO-CULTURAL THEORY by Leslie Yvette Rodriguez December 2012 The primary purpose of this case study was to examine the influence of power on an employee’s decision to file a formal racial discrimination complaint against their employer with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Additionally, this case study explored the communicative strategies that lead up to and follow the filing of such a complaint. This study used both Orbe’s (1998) co-cultural theory and French and Raven’s theory on power bases (1968) as both theoretical foundations and lenses to analyze this occurrence. Four minority women from Central Texas participated in this qualitative case study. Specifically, in depth interviews were conducted where co-researchers were asked to provide narratives regarding the events that surrounded their complaint and narratives that revealed the communicative practices that were used to communicate with superiors and other employees before, during, and after the complaint process. These narratives were analyzed using the existing typologies provided by the two noted theories. McCracken’s (1988) guidelines were used to guide the emergence of new categories. Five central conclusions were drawn based on the analysis that materialized from the proposed research questions. First, employees seek to address an occurrence of racial discrimination in house prior to filing legal charges, which provides organizations an opportunity to rectify the issue and avoid further legal consequences. Second, ii complainants maintain a heightened level of scrutiny regarding the actions of the organization during the process of the complaint. As such, it is critical that all decisions appear unbiased. Third, the absence of expert power and the use of coercive and legitimate power may increase the likelihood of an employee filing a formal racial discrimination complaint. Fourth, once an employee files a formal racial discrimination complaint with EEOC, communicative interaction between the employee and employer appears to halt. Fifth, a racial discrimination experience permanently alters an individual’s future communicative experiences in current organizations. Combined, these results offer both theoretical implications as well as practical applications. iii COPYRIGHT BY LESLIE YVETTE RODRIGUEZ 2012 The University of Southern Mississippi EMPLOYEE RACIAL DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINTS: EXPLORING POWER THROUGH CO-CULTURAL THEORY by Leslie Yvette Rodriguez A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved: ____________John Meyer______________ Director ____________Wendy Atkins-Sayre_______ ___________Lawrence Hosman_________ ___________Charles Tardy_____________ ___________Steven Venette____________ __________Susan A. Siltanen___________ Dean of the Graduate School December 2012 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank my dissertation director, Dr. John Meyer for his considerable guidance and understanding as this project came to fruition. His continual encouragement, insight, and advice made this process a positive learning experience. Sincere gratitude is also given to my committee members, Dr. Wendy Atkins-Sayre, Dr. Lawrence Hosman, Dr. Charles Tardy, and Dr. Steven Venette, for their assistance throughout the duration of this project. To Susie, Lu-Lu, Karla, and Bella, thank you for allowing me to share your stories. A special thank you to my parents for their continual support. You three instilled within me an unwavering pursuit for education that made this moment a reality. To Joni, Chris, Verna, and Tina, in each a special way, you all provided the motivation I needed to complete this process, and for that I cannot thank you enough. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.................................................................................................iv LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................1 II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE…………………………. ……..4 Co-Cultural Theory Power Culture and Power’s Role in Racial Discrimination Complaints Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964 Research Questions III. METHODOLOGY....................................................................................46 Co-Researchers Narratives Research Design Interviews Analysis IV. RESULTS...................................................................................................57 Community and Organization Information Research Question One Research Question Two Research Question Three Research Question Four Research Question Five Summary of Results V. DISCUSSION............................................................................................95 Strategies Employed before Legal Filing and why they Failed Perceptions of Subordinate Power Communicative Strategy Employed after Legal Filing How Communication is Altered in Future Employment Summary of Major Findings v Limitations and Future Research Conclusion APPENDIXES.................................................................................................................118 REFERENCES................................................................................................................159 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Co-Cultural Communication Orientations.............................................................19 2. RQ1: Communicative Strategies used Prior to Filing Complaint.........................63 3. RQ3: Power Types Noted by Co-Researchers......................................................80 4. RQ4: Communicative Strategies used After Filing Complaint............................85 vii

Description:
McCracken's (1988) guidelines were used to guide the emergence of new Five central conclusions were drawn based on the analysis that .. Edwin Ardener, and was later introduced into the communication discipline by .. co-cultural theory has extended the knowledge of how specific co-cultural
See more

The list of books you might like

Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.