This study examines how local employees gain information and make sense of new expatriates’ roles and responsibilities in multinational corporations by applying Weick’s sensemaking theory. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews of 17 local employees working for a Japan-based automotive manufacturing company in a Midwestern U.S. city. Results revealed that local employees extracted cues from their environment to make sense of expatriates’ roles and responsibilities by communicating directly with others, observing expatriates communicating with others, and applying knowledge from previous experiences with expatriates. In making sense of the information, local employees compared their expectations for expatriates with their experiences and interpreted expatriates’ roles and responsibilities negatively when there was a discrepancy between them. This study provides valuable insights into the sensemaking process of local employees as they adapt to expatriates as part of their ongoing socialization process.
This study examined conversation preferences in workplace meetings via a cross-sectional survey of working adults ( N = 217). Dialogue orientations from the argumentation literature were employed in conjunction with a typology of meetings proposed by the authors to examine communication and satisfaction in various types of meetings. Results revealed that three dialogue orientations (negotiation, information-giving, and eristic) predicted meeting satisfaction to a moderate degree. In addition, the use of several dialogue orientations differed depending on meeting type and an individual’s supervisory role. We discuss how these results can inform our understanding of dialogue opportunities and constraints during meetings, and recommend ways for improving meetings. These results are discussed in the context of organizational communication, including practical recommendations and theoretical implications.
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