The Organizational Discourse in Economic Crisis: Myth, Construction or Reality?

Abstract

This article gives an overview of the research done in organizational discourse and, in particular, it points out the changes of the organizational discourse in time of crisis. Normally at stake in these discourses are control of power in the organization, the production of meaning and the manipulation of symbols. As anactivity par excellence of managers, the production of these discourses can be either a tool of mobilization or, when multivocal, of the co-construction of organizational history and identity. The research that showed behavioral changes concerning management discourse was based on a sociologic analysis made in France in2009. Manager’s commitment is strategic in a difficult period such as an economic crisis. The manager needs to adjust not only his directives and his behavior towards external factors but also his speech. Therefore, new models concerning the organizational discourse are required. We will focus on how a discourse can be handled as a strategic resource. The management changes from the world of decisions into the world of words and languages. The positive aspect of organizational communication resulting from the practical studyis built from a reality that managers express in nice and encouraging words.

Keywords

• discourse analysis
• change
• economical crisis