Viewing Organizational Communication From a Feminist Perspective: A Critique and Some Offerings

This chapter views organizational communication from a feminist perspective. Illustrations are drawn from literature on women in management and from academic settings. Organizational cultures are depicted as dominated by male values. The processes by which such values are maintained are explored by using an adaptation of E. T. Hall’s (1976) theory of high-and low-context cultures, together with an analysis of social power. A model of the consequences for women of communicating in high-context, male-defined organizational cultures is presented. Potential themes in a gendered appreciation of communication are proposed. Steps toward re-vision-ing organizational communication theory are suggested.