[Linganth] book announcement

[Elizabeth Keating]

Dear Colleagues:

Together with my colleague from the business school, I have just published a book with the goal of bringing some linguistic anthropology concepts to engineers and other professionals working in cross-cultural settings. The book might also be useful if you are looking for classroom texts, since a lot of students will end up working in multicultural situations when they leave college, and might enjoy reading about a professional setting. It's written with a general audience in mind.

The book focuses on energy industry engineers who have been thrust into global work collaborations, collaborations now possible thanks to advances in computer and communication technologies (and economically attractive to management). What we found when we did our study is that the engineers' informal communication models were based loosely on some form of the familiar conduit model, and this meant when problems in communication came up, they didn't have good tools to understand how to prevent costly misunderstandings (both in terms of money and relationships). Because they had few, if any, face-to-face meetings, and limited overlapping hours of the work day due to time zone differences, it was difficult for them to learn from each other about their different communication habits and beliefs. The engineers kept telling us they needed to know more about culture and its effect on communication, and that's what motivated us to write the book.

For more description of the book see the UC Press blurb at  http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520291379

Book Title: Words Matter: Communicating Effectively in the New Global Office (University of California Press, available Oct 2016)
Authors: Elizabeth Keating and Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa


 "Words Matter addresses a core problem of real global interest-the common miscommunication associated with mediated collaborative work across national speech communities. Given the proliferation of such transnational groups, it is clear that the assumptions individuals bring to their business interactions-cognitive, emotional, personal-provide a rich and significant nexus for recognition, exploration, and for changing minds and practices. The authors write with spirit and insight. This is a very engaging read."-Don Brenneis, UC Santa Cruz

"This well-written, thoughtful book is geared towards business men and women who work in global teams, offering linguistic anthropological insights into how they might improve their cross-cultural communication and avoid mishaps. Miscommunication is often so frustrating and opaque when you are in the middle of it. These authors use succinct and to-the-point examples to illustrate how and why miscommunication in global workplaces happens so easily, and so frequently. The authors provide superb analytical tools and thoughtful suggestions for improving communication across cultures and continents."-Ilana Gershon, author of The Breakup 2.0: Disconnecting over New Media.

"Words Matter is a great resource for anyone involved with global or remote teams. . . .The solution lists in each chapter are lights along the path which provide a better communication strategy, no matter the size of your business or its goals. I strongly recommend this book for leaders in today's global technology ecosystem. . . ."-Tonya Browning, Vice President, UX Engineering.



All best,

Elizabeth


Elizabeth Keating
Professor, Department of Anthropology
University of Texas at Austin
2201 Speedway Stop C3200
Austin TX 78712
Phone 512-471-8518, office: SAC 4.156





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