Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
Spring 5-31-2015
Degree Name
Master of Science in Professional and Technical Communication - (M.S.)
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Bernadette C. Longo
Second Advisor
David Kmiec
Third Advisor
Carol Siri Johnson
Fourth Advisor
Nancy Steffen-Fluhr
Abstract
Communication is a critical and emerging metric for successful outcomes in the high-stakes field of project management. Professional management societies have quantified financial losses caused by ineffective communication. Consulting project management exemplifies a maximum communication risk environment - misunderstanding threatens project finances, strict deadlines, and technical benchmarks - exacerbated by the complexity of a temporary organization structure.
The context of work in a temporary organization adds layers of ambiguity to project communications - an ill-structured domain in technical communication terms. Formal study of communication in temporary organizations is relatively new. Recent studies are derived from engineering and business management perspectives.
This baseline study investigates risk and strategy in temporary organizations from a communication perspective. Project management consultants dialogue about their experiences of project risk and communication strategy in a critical incident interview.
This research identifies the communication complexities of work in these temporary contexts. Contrasting the base communication models of professional project management, this study proposes rhetorical analysis as a systems thinking strategy for project communication. This thesis argues that professional technical communication is strategic expertise and advocates humanistic strategies to mitigate the elevated sociotechnical communication risk within a temporary organization.
Recommended Citation
McIvor, Shelley R., "Communication risk and strategy in temporary organizations" (2015). Theses. 236.
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/236
