Negotiating Workplace Relationships

Negotiating Workplace Relationships teaches students how to navigate the ethically challenging and professionally risky situations they are likely to encounter in their working lives. Grounded in both classic and contemporary studies, this narrative-based text introduces a theoretical framework and pragmatic communication strategies for mitigating personal risk and optimizing relational and organizational outcomes. Throughout the text, students learn how power differences, normative pressures, performance obligations, and other social, relational, and ethical factors complicate workplace encounters. Each chapter features real-world scenarios that illustrate unique challenges such as proposing innovations, responding to harassment, managing workplace romance, offering criticism, and dealing with difference. Students are provided with current research on each communicative challenge, then explore possible responses using the Risk Negotiation Cycle.

Featuring vivid examples that encourage critical thinking and lively discussion on the topic of communication in the workplace, Negotiating Workplace Relationships is well-suited to courses in organizational communication, work relationships, leadership communication, organizational ethics, applied communication, and management.

Vincent R. Waldron is a professor of communication studies and Lincoln Professor of Applied Ethics at Arizona State University, where he teaches courses on communication in personal and professional relationships. He earned his Ph.D. in communication from Ohio State University and his M.A. and B.A. in speech communication and psychology from the University of Arizona. Dr. Waldron has authored, coauthored, and coedited numerous volumes on such topics as forgiveness in personal relationships, relationship changes across the lifespan, and communicating in the workplace.

Jeffrey W. Kassing is a professor of communication studies at Arizona State University, where he teaches courses in organizational, applied, and sport communication. He earned his Ph.D. from Kent State University with an emphasis in organizational communication and is a founding member of the International Association for Communication and Sport. Dr. Kassing has authored, coauthored, and coedited books, chapters, and articles on such topics as employee dissent, sport media, and communication between fans, athletes, and coaches.