Flirting with Meaning

Eisenberg, Eric M.

doi:10.1177/0261927x980171005

Cited by 28 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…In most civilizations (including our own), the spiritual urge has proven too weak to discourage the perennial quest for a single, literal, fundamental truth, whether it be found in nationalism, capitalism, or religious fundamentalism. I have written elsewhere that "every holocaust finds its reasons in certainty and in separation" (Eisenberg, 1998), and this remains true today, when no fewer than 50 wars are being fought on Earth, all of them over truth claims of one kind or another. Despite unprecedented advances in science and culture, brutal dictatorships, medieval forms of torture, and genocide persist.…”

Section: The Role Of Spirituality and Religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building a Mystery: toward a New Theory of Communication and Identity

Eisenberg

2001

Journal of Communication

Self Cite

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Section: The Role Of Spirituality and Religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building a Mystery: toward a New Theory of Communication and Identity

Eisenberg

2001

Journal of Communication

Self Cite

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“…. ] gives room for alternative reactions to the same piece of language (Empson, 1949, p. 1). In Seven Types of Ambiguity, Empson (1949) sets the pattern for making sense of strategic ambiguity (SA) (Contractor and Ehrlich, 1993;Eisenberg, 1984) or the intentional use of equivocation (Bavelas et al, 1990;Eisenberg, 1998) to achieve desired ends within organizations and networks. Empson's influence surpassed the borders of literary criticism ( Jancovich, 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategic ambiguity in emergent coalitions: the triple bottom line

Wexler

2009

Corporate Communications: An International Journal

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore and expand the role of strategic ambiguity (SA) in the field of organizational communication. It treats the triple bottom line (TBL) as indicative of an emerging coalition. This coalition brings together three loosely coupled discourse communities each attempting to advance the notion of green business, corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Design/methodology/approach -This case directs attention to how SA and equivocation built into TBL aids three loosely networked discourse communities -formulated around "profits", "people" and "planet" -emerge, coalesce and diffuse despite being rooted in imprecise and loosely formulated measures. Findings -The findings indicate that despite its imprecision, lack of specificity and operational indices the TBL provides its members with the belief that they are far better off joining the coalition than going it alone. TBL's openness to multiple interpretations enables each of the discourse communities in the emerging network to expect to win concessions from others and to protect its values from encroachment. Originality/value -This treatment of TBL suggests that SA can be expanded beyond an intra-organizational focus to one encompassing emergent coalitions. The expanded notion of SA helps explain the stickiness of knowledge transfer in the early stage of coalition formation and the propensity of critics to view new imprecise but inspiring ideas like TBL as nothing but a fad or passing enthusiasm.

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“…Eisenberg further argues that sometimes it may be risky to use clear or unambiguous words and symbols in organizational communication, especially when an organisation is facing tension from the internal or external environment [45]. For this reason, such organisations may employ ambiguous words or symbols to facilitate the attainment of its multiple goals [46].…”

Section: The Concept Of Strategic Ambiguity (Sa)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“I Collected Money, not a Bribe”: Strategic Ambiguity and the Dynamics of Corruption in Contemporary Nigeria

Dumbili

Sofadekan

2016

Social Sciences

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This article explores the language of corruption in Nigeria. It uses Eisenberg's Strategic Ambiguity concept to examine the extent to which Nigerian legislators and those who occupy the executive arm of the government employ ambiguous languages and actions to execute and defend corrupt practices, and how this institutionalizes the culture of corruption in contemporary Nigeria. The article further explores how ambiguous light punishment, outright non-punishment, state pardon of corrupt elites and the reward of corrupt elites with sensitive government appointments engender corruption in Nigeria. The article argues that while the elites engage in diverse corrupt practices and employ ambiguous words to defend their acts, the judiciary appears to defend rather than punish them. The paper discusses the implications of these findings, concluding that the war against corruption in Nigeria may not be effective, because as those who appear to be fighting corruption are themselves corrupt, the frameworks with which corruption is fought are strategically manipulated by the elites.

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Flirting with Meaning

Cited by 28 publications

References 5 publications

Building a Mystery: toward a New Theory of Communication and Identity

Building a Mystery: toward a New Theory of Communication and Identity

Strategic ambiguity in emergent coalitions: the triple bottom line

“I Collected Money, not a Bribe”: Strategic Ambiguity and the Dynamics of Corruption in Contemporary Nigeria

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