Organisation, power and e-mail : an investigation of electronic power relationships
This thesis examines and contributes to the study of how, and in what forms, power and influence is communicated via e-mail. The methods used in the investigation examine the e-mail patterns of six respondents, who occupy varying hierarchical positions, within a single public sector organisation. It...
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Staffordshire University
2008
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| Online Access: | https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.759376 |
| Summary: | This thesis examines and contributes to the study of how, and in what forms, power and influence is communicated via e-mail. The methods used in the investigation examine the e-mail patterns of six respondents, who occupy varying hierarchical positions, within a single public sector organisation. It achieves this examination through a discourse analysis of each respondent’s sent mail box, using the respondents themselves as secondary coders. Underpinning the empirical work is an examination of how the theories of Foucault relate to the subject of power and e-mail. The examination suggests that Foucault’s methodology can provide insight into the role of power in influencing e-mail discursive patterns. This is theoretically achieved by applying a similar structural linguistic methodology to that used by Foucault to uncover how logical relations appear in e-mail exchanges and the power relationships they produce. Central to the application of Foucault’s work is the notion of context; a theoretical concept that suggests relational power as expressed through e-mails is shaped by the perceptual relationship between actors and text. |
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