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This article used the concept of discursive positioning to explore the narrative construction of professional identities among women engineers. The analysis of interviews with 15 women in a variety of engineering specialties suggested that they adopt a variety of distinct and sometimes contradictory positionings to present themselves as qualified professionals. In general, participants were reluctant to acknowledge gender relations as consequential for their careers and were also ambivalent about the implied focus of this research on female engineers as a “marginalized group.” A case is made for including and examining female engineers’ selfdetermined identities to arrive at more adequately complex descriptions of their work realities.

In this article, we use the anthropologist Gregory Bateson's conceptualization of framing and his theory of interpersonal communication process to explore how relational realities develop in designed conversational processes. In recent years, there has been a blossoming of interest in large group methods as a way of achieving whole-system change. Many of these techniques seek to construct alternative spaces or dialogic "containers" in which the usual routines and authority structures are suspended; as such, they require that practitioners give particular attention to issues of framing. By analyzing examples drawn from two World Café events, we attempt to clarify theoretical principles underlying dialogic approaches to organizational change. We also consider the practical implications inherent in Bateson's ideas, particularly the possibilities they offer for enhancing the facilitator's awareness of the context in which he or she is a participating member.In an effort to foster greater participation and dialogue, many organizations continue to develop and experiment with large group methods that seek to achieve whole-system change by involving large numbers of members in new forms of collective experience. These new meeting forms may be aimed at designing the organization's desired future

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