TY - JOUR
T1 - The paradox of control in participative decision-making : gatekeeping discourse in banks
AU - YEUNG, Lorrita
PY - 2004/1/1
Y1 - 2004/1/1
N2 - This article examines how the question of control is resolved in participative decision-making where managers have to play the dual role of mediating control from the top and yet generating participation from the bottom for organizational change. For this purpose, the discourse patterns in participative meetings in two banks in Australia and three banks in Hong Kong were studied. This article analyzes how managers were engaged in gatekeeping, where "unobtrusive" control ( Tompkins and Cheney 1985) becomes obtrusive, in forms that are both subtle and unsubtle. The pragmalinguistic features of gatekeeping discourse follow patterns markedly different from discourse modes for facilitating participation from the bottom (Yeung 2004).
AB - This article examines how the question of control is resolved in participative decision-making where managers have to play the dual role of mediating control from the top and yet generating participation from the bottom for organizational change. For this purpose, the discourse patterns in participative meetings in two banks in Australia and three banks in Hong Kong were studied. This article analyzes how managers were engaged in gatekeeping, where "unobtrusive" control ( Tompkins and Cheney 1985) becomes obtrusive, in forms that are both subtle and unsubtle. The pragmalinguistic features of gatekeeping discourse follow patterns markedly different from discourse modes for facilitating participation from the bottom (Yeung 2004).
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34247675364&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1515/ijsl.2004.016
DO - 10.1515/ijsl.2004.016
M3 - Journal Article (refereed)
SN - 0165-2516
VL - 2004
SP - 83
EP - 104
JO - International Journal of the Sociology of Language
JF - International Journal of the Sociology of Language
IS - 166
ER -