Re-Making Communication at Work

276 Pages·2013·1.79 MB·English

by  Jesse Sostrin (auth.)

Re-Making Communication at Work
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Re-Making Communication
at Work
Jesse Sostrin
RE-MAKING COMMUNICATION AT WORK
Copyright © Jesse Sostrin, 2013.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2013 978-1-137-33706-1
All rights reserved.
First published in 2013 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States— a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-137-33707-8 ISBN 978-1-137-33276-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137332769
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sostrin, Jesse.
Re-making communication at work / Jesse Sostrin, PhD.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Communication in organizations. 2. Communication in
management. 3. Interpersonal communication. I. Title.
HD30.3.S655 2013
651.7—dc23 2013020510
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: November 2013
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to my late friend and mentor, Barnett Pearce,
whose life’s work was the scaffolding for this book.
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Contents
List of Figures and Tables i x
Acknowledgments x i
Preface x iii
Introduction: Forget Everything You Learned About
Communication at Work 1
Part I A New Approach to Communication at Work
1 Old Myths and New Principles for Re-Making Communication
at Work 23
2 Taking a Communication Perspective at Work 39
3 Where Communication Counts Most in the Changing
World of Work 51
4 Re-Making Communication: The Competitive Advantage
of the Twenty-First Century 61
5 Applying Part I to the Real World of Work 65
Part II Knowledge Guide for Re-Making Patterns of
Communication at Work
6 Communication Chemistry: What Makes Patterns 71
7 Communication Physics: What Holds Patterns Together 81
8 Communication Design: Deconstructing and Re-Making
Patterns 89
9 Learning to See Patterns, Episodes, and Turns in
Communication 95
10 Identifying High-Priority Patterns 107
viii CONTENTS
11 Applying Part II to the Real World of Work 119
Part III Practice Guide for Re-Making Patterns of
Communication at Work
12 Introduction to the Practice of Re-Making Communication
at Work 131
13 Single-Step Practices for Re-Making Communication at Work 139
14 M-A-I-D: A Guide for Re-Making Patterns of Communication
and Interaction 157
15 Applying Part III to the Real World of Work 187
Part IV Creating Big Change by Starting Small
16 Where to Begin: Individual, Team, and Organizational
Starting Lines 193
17 How to Accelerate Your Progress: Guided Coaching for the
Essentials 203
1 8 R e-Making Leadership and Organizational Culture with
Communication 219
19 Sharing the Book’s Lessons with the “Hard-to-Reach” 231
20 Applying Part IV to the Real World of Work 237
Appendix 1: Blank Worksheets for Re-Making Communication
at Work 2 39
Appendix 2: Pattern Profiles 2 45
Notes 253
Bibliography 2 61
Index 265
Figures and Tables
Figures
I.1 O ur working lives: constant patterns of communication
and interaction 6
11.1 Communication is made one episode at a time 119
13.1 V isualizing the system: work relationships 140
13.2 Visualizing the system: stories about my contributions 141
13.3 Visualizing the system: what I believe about my potential 141
13.4 Visualizing the system: intersecting episodes 142
13.5 Hierarchy of values 143
13.6 Hierarchy of values within decisions 144
13.7 Hierarchy of stories 145
13.8 Hierarchy of strategies and decisions 146
14.1 Barbara’s hierarchy of values 164
14.2 Visualizing Robin’s story of success 168
14.3 Robin’s expanding story of success 170
Tables
1.1 Old myths and new principles of communication 24
3.1 The communication bundle 52
9.1 Sample pattern continuum 98
9.2 Sample episode continuum 100
9.3 S ample turn continuum 101
11.1 Re-making communication at work starts with reflection
and choice 121
13.1 Listening for stories 147
13.2 Seeing past speech acts 149
13.3 Deconstructing a pattern 150
13.4 Example of deconstructing a pattern 152
13.5 Constructing a pattern 154
13.6 Example of constructing a pattern 155
14.1 Reality test framework 159