The Journey of an Organizational Communication scholar: an interview with Dr. Patrice Buzzanell.

Zhu, Lin

1. Please introduce yourself and describe a typical workday.

I'm a full professor at Purdue University in the Department of Communication. I graduated with my doctorate at this university in 1987 in organizational communication with minors in industrial/organizational psychology and management, quantitative methodology, and mass communication.

Since graduation, I've worked at several different institutions of higher education including the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management at Michigan State University (MBA programs) and the Department of Communication at MSU (visiting professor). I moved from Northern Illinois University to take the position at Purdue in 1999. I was, and still am, thrilled to be able to return to my alma mater and to the institution where the Father of Organizational Communication, W. Charles Redding, spent his career.

I specialize in the communicative constructions of career, leadership, and gender. These topical areas mean that I work on research, workshops, classes, colloquia, and other things about the discourse surrounding career and work (e.g., career models, identity constructions, work-life policies and practices, obstacles to particular group members' participation in organizational and career processes), resilience and human dignity, feminist reconsiderations of career, leadership, meanings of work, and so on. It sounds like a lot of topics but there are recurrent themes of enabling diverse stakeholders' participation in organizational life through research and interventions on micropractices through structures and global processes.

A typical workday is to see the children off to school and head into my office. I have either classes or meetings every day so I try to get in between 7:00-8:30 am. I make a cup of tea or coffee, say hello to our support staff, and begin reading email. Some days are filled with email correspondence. When I really need to write something, I try to ignore email. I receive a variety of email messages about the International Communication Association (ICA) and Council of Communication Associations (CCA), our graduate program, the classes I teach, and varied committee work. I often receive messages from my students--from my communications classes and from the engineering team that I coadvise--and from my doctoral and master's advisees. I have over a dozen Ph.D. and a couple of MA student advisees as well as a postdoc. Out of these about 6 are completing dissertations or theses within the next few months so it's quite a busy time! Most of the rest of my advisees are designing their research prospectuses and taking their preliminary (qualifying) exams. They are coauthoring articles and conference papers with me and with each other. I text with my kids during the day and usually cook dinner and eat with my family in the evening. I often talk to colleagues and students in the evening or read their papers.

What else do I do? I read the local news and the Wall Street Journal daily. I read Newsweek and the Chronicle of Higher Education weekly.

This all sounds a little boring. But you did ask about my work day!! I often have students and colleagues over to our home. My husband and I host departmental receptions, baby and bridal showers, promotion parties, and other events. It's such a pleasure to bring people together locally and at conferences. Sometimes, we just get together for no real reason except to talk. I travel a lot--Last year, I went to conferences and meetings all over the United States and to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Rajasthan (India), Barcelona, and Copenhagen. I love to travel and meet with communication researchers and students all over the globe. It has been incredibly exciting to learn and see first hand how communication is constituted in contexts differently and in ways that actively promote agendas to make productive change for quality of life in different regions of the world. I hope that when I am no longer President of ICA and CCA, I'll continue to have these opportunities! And I'm also looking forward to writing more!

2. It seems that you take many different roles: a mother, a wife, a researcher, a teacher, and an administrator. How do you manage these roles? Do you feel like you are juggling them sometimes? What are the most challenging issues with fulfilling these roles?

I don't think I've ever used the juggling metaphor. I've always felt as though a sequential or multitasking image probably better fits the way that I do things! The most challenging parts are that I love all the different aspects of my life and want to do everything! If I didn't enjoy all of them, I think I'd have trouble making time. But I literally get up in the morning thinking about the different work projects, advising, ICA or CCA work, research, reading, teaching, and so on. The hard part for me is determining on what I should be attending at any particular time. As I said, I want to do it all!

In some ways, it has been pretty easy. My undergrad classes and grad students sometimes come over to the house for end-of-semester dinners and other events. My grad advisees sometimes come to my house to talk about their research projects, our collaborative work, or other things. So my children are used to having extra people for dinner or around the house to visit. They also know that I enjoy my work and that it's important to me. So they understand if I say that I'd rather read something than go shopping with them at the Mall (I may drive them and then find a coffee shop so that I can read). I also make sure that I go to the events that are important to them and that I spend time with them every day.

My grad students and other faculty have my cell phone number and so do my undergrads on occasion. My home phone number is available to all. They know that they don't have to wait for my office hours if they need to talk about something. I'm usually on campus every day, too.

I'd say that there are times I focus on specific projects for an extended period of time but, for the most part, I move in and out of different kinds of work and have fun with different people throughout the day.

3. Would you share with us your experience serving as president of ICA and CCA and comment on the impact of globalization on the development of these organizations?

There is so much to share. The internationalization of our discipline has been at the heart of the International Communication Association (ICA) work for quite some time. Our first conference outside of the United States was in 1977 and since that time, we've worked hard to have conferences every three years in non-U.S. locations. The benefit of international conferences is that they draw in expertise and members that weren't part of ICA before and that they expand understandings of organizing logics, such as taken-for-granted assumptions about how conferences and award nominations are done. And it helps researchers in different parts of the world showcase their communication efforts to other national and regional scholars and governments.

If you look at our website, we translate article abstracts into several different languages, list and/or co-host numerous regional conferences, and work with scholars to get their materials in our journals and other publications as well as to get them on our editorial boards, ICA committees, leadership roles, and other opportunities.

The Council of Communication Associations (CCA) is an umbrella association of 8 different associations headquartered in North America. We have the promotion of our discipline as a whole and the integration of resources for the benefit of all as our primary agenda. We have been working on increased recognition of our field by governmental agencies and in reputational reports. A multi-associational committee that is just being formed is looking at quality indicators for the humanities because many indicators are aligned more easily with the social sciences. In this endeavor, we'll be interacting with individual researchers and associations around the globe.

I could write much more but this gives you a hint of what is happening in both associations. For ICA, we are looking forward to our conference in Singapore in 2010 and our European conference in 2013 (site undetermined at present). I hope that readers of this interview will feel free to contact me about either association (buzzanel@purdue.edu).

One of the joys of being President of ICA and of CCA is that I hear from researchers, teachers, and students from all around the globe and with many different interests in communication! I've tried to incorporate the things I've learned into associational initiatives and our daily work.

4. Many scholars believe that their role is solely to produce knowledge while others believe that scholars have an obligation to bring about social change. What do you consider to be the primary role of a researcher?

I don't think that you can bifurcate our purposes to those extremes. We have a history in communication of combining theory and practice whether it's social change or some other form of pragmatic interventions aligned with communication theory.

My personal inclination is to devise theory and research that has a practical bent. Most of my research involves praxis--awareness, knowledge production, change to promote gender equity and redress other forms of inequity.

I see a place in our field for all kinds of scholarship--that is what makes our field so exciting and full of possibilities.

5. You have diverse international experience in Europe and Asia. How, if at all, has this affected your personal and professional worldview?

You ask such good questions!! And answering them fully would take some time. I have greatly enjoyed my experiences in different world regions. I've been fortunate to be able to teach classes, do workshops, present with regional scholars, provide keynote addresses, conduct research in these areas, and collaborate with international scholars in so many different ways. It has been an amazing journey for me in expanding my thinking about research projects and about the contributions that our field makes to different national and regional agendas (and vice versa).

A short answer to your question is that I am very much aware--and have been for quite a while--about how Western centered much of communication research and teaching is. When I consider an area for teaching and research, I find myself reconsidering fundamental assumptions about communication processes and how communication is implicated in the very fabric of the questions, designs, interpretations of data, and implications for practice as well as further research. These reconsiderations are not simply about research and teaching but also about how I conduct myself in everyday conversations and emails. I have been blessed with friends who have discussed ways of navigating different intercultural situations and we've both laughed about what books on communicating in a particular country say and what actually happens when you travel to or live there!!!

There is so much more to write but perhaps this is start for further conversations. I do believe that it should be the goal of everyone in our global society to work toward greater "global competencies" and "cultural intelligence" for our everyday lives and for our research to have a broad and sustained impact.

6. The development of communication as a discipline has gone through some rather interesting paths in the U.S. What are the forces that have formed communication as an independent discipline? Do you see communication in China going through similar paths?

The development of communication as an independent discipline would have a different trajectory in China. Although some of our roots go back to ancient times with rhetoric, a good starting place for communication as we know it is the emergence of social science and major exigencies emerging from needs associated with growing populations (e.g., infrastructural, educational, policy issues for specific segments), world wars, mass media technologies, scientific advancements, globalization, and so on. These same (and new emerging) forces still have repercussions on, and are influenced by, our field. There are a number of classic readings that discuss the emergence of communication and its historical distinctions from related fields such as English, Theatre, and Speech Disorders.

Today, we have developed communication theories, research, and practices that are both context specific and that cut across diverse areas in our field. I think that we look less at specific context than at development of cutting edge research from varied intra- and interdisciplinary sources around specific issues and opportunities. Our audiences have expanded, too.

Communication in China both builds upon and develops its own trajectories. When we teach the history of areas, such as organizational communication, Western scholars can no longer rely upon or reference Western sources and pivotal moments. So researchers in China would draw upon but also diverge from the disciplinary narratives that have dominated our field. The added complexities, nuances, and ideas are intriguing and bring renewed energy and commitment to studying communication aspects.

7. To build on your previous response, I am interested in your interactions with communication scholars in China and your understanding of communication in China. What was your most memorable experience?

Most memorable experiences ... There are so many!!! :)

I have not only gone to conferences but I have also conducted workshops and have done talks to large (very large!) groups of undergraduates, graduate students, administrators, and faculty. During one session, I was asked extremely specific questions about a multinational corporate CEO in comparison to three others and also was asked about team work processes and routine practices in three different countries in Asia at particular hierarchical levels in the corporations. I responded to these questions and mentioned pertinent research. But I noted that I could not relate specifics in some areas. I explained what I did know and how, relying on my own empirical research and that of others, and provided details about those studies. I explained that there were aspects of the question that were beyond my expertise. The students looked shocked and the translator and I had an exchange. She said that teachers will create answers if they don't know something. I noted that I would be showing disrespect for the specificity of the question and for the person asking the question if I did that. If I made up an answer and did not provide the detail that the person asking the questions deserved, then I would not be acknowledging what an excellent question I had been asked. I also explained that faculty in U.S. research institutions, as opposed to positions that are more generalist or comprehensive in nature, often--but not always--develop very specific areas of expertise. I explained that it was not considered to be a loss of face that I could not provide specifics about the very narrow areas of the question. It was a fascinating exchange with the students and translator as we discussed national and cultural educational differences and similarities. I really enjoyed learning in that session.

Another time, I was asked about US family life and work-life balance. I responded that there aren't typical families and that the TV shows don't portray what everyday life is like. I talked about my youngest daughters' bus to take them to school at 7 a.m. and how they often aren't home until 11p.m. if they have sports practices, games, lessons, play practice, or other things going on, including homework. When one daughter was on the swim team, she was in the water before 5 a.m. and wouldn't be home until the evening to begin her homework. They were shocked that I had 6 children and one professor who knew me asked me to tell them about how I responded as a parent when my children made decisions with which I didn't agree. The example I gave was when a daughter announced her engagement at age 18 to a guy we didn't particularly respect and didn't consider to be a good match. I talked about the resolution of this event--we did not ask her to break the engagement but asked her to complete college and if she was still engaged in a couple of years, we would hold a big engagement party and welcome him into the family. It was really hard to do. I talked about dialectic tensions, choice and maturity, ages at which children have certain rights in the United States, and lots of other things about parent-child relationships.

After this talk, an older women on the faculty talked about her son. Her son had wanted to have a relationship with a woman who was considered appropriate for him. This woman and her husband considered the son to be too young. He wasn't through college and graduate work, he didn't have a job, he wasn't established in his career. Now he is all of those things and over 35 years old. He did not continue the relationship with this woman and has not found anyone else whom he is interested in marrying. Her eyes filled with tears as she said that he is her only child and she believes that she'll never have grandchildren.

Who knows what is best?

I loved the questions I was asked and all the different aspects of everyday life in China that I learned about. I loved meeting faculty from all over China. The keynote speakers at the different conferences I attended were just amazing. To be able to participate in events like these really broadens one's perspective!

8. Could you tell us some of the experiences you have had that are important to learning the ropes as a new student and scholar in the discipline?

One experience that has been really helpful to me is having a great and supportive advisor. My dissertation advisor was Linda Putnam and she continues to be a source of advice and encouragement. I try to do the same for my advisees and for other students. I enjoy reading others' manuscripts and providing feedback. I think that everyone needs encouragement in their work and in balancing all our different life demands and opportunities. I work hard to give timely comments and look for opportunities for collaborative and individual research projects for my students and with others in our own and other fields.

Second, I'd recommend the enlargement of what one considers to be mentorship. We all need mentors throughout our lives. Sometimes, a mentor may actually provide pivotal sponsorship, role modeling, and career advice over a relatively short time frame, say, for example, a single conversation. Othertimes, there is reverse and virtual mentoring. In terms of learning the ropes, I would recommend developing mentorship relationships in which you receive benefits and can also give something back to the mentor and to others.

Third, coauthoring and coteaching with people who know the ropes can be invaluable. I didn't realize that my first ever submission to a journal--and a top journal--was a revise and resubmit. The editor never said that and I received pages and pages of things that I needed to do differently. I work through r&rs with students and others in our field to show how they can be done and to encourage revision. Similarly, I did training and development sessions with seasoned professionals in executive education and that was a great way to learn how to engage with an audience different from undergraduate and graduate students.

Fourth, it's essential to follow one's passion in academic work. I cannot wait to start a new day and I always have tons of ideas for teaching, research projects, workshops, and other parts of my work. An academic career consumes so much of your time and energy--if it isn't fun and fascinating, then I can't imagine doing this work.

I'd be happy to expand on this list. I'd add that there are lots of people in leadership positions in our field who are willing to and enthusiastic about offering advice and encouragement to young scholars. Emails would suffice but a better way to benefit from their knowledge is to get involved in the main associations (national and international communication associations) and perhaps one or two specialty or small conferences. These preconferences, miniconferences, and regional or local conferences are fabulous ways to meet people and engage in conversation about a particular topic, methodology, or context. They can't take the place of the larger conferences in terms of obtaining insight about the field in general and upcoming trends, but they do enable one to embed oneself in a particular community of scholars.

Let me add ... I just about always say "yes" to opportunities. I review as a member of more than a dozen editorial boards and get the reviews back on time or early. I enjoy committee work and meeting people that way. I love to go to conferences and absorb and reflect upon all the different ideas.

Sometimes people get advice that says to focus narrowly during early career years. I would agree that it's important to establish a programmatic research and teaching record but it's also a great time to get involved and explore new ideas. I'm glad that I did because I have a large group of colleagues across the discipline. I didn't intend to develop such a large professional network--it just happened because I enjoy meeting people, learning new ideas, and volunteering/ saying "yes" to stuff.

9. What do you see as challenges and opportunities presented by the interdisciplinarity of communication?

I'll just list a few challenges and opportunities here. Challenges:

--distinguishing ourselves from related disciplines

--centering on the talk itself... Messages, discourses, surrounding macrodiscourses in which individual interactions are embedded.

Opportunities:

--being able to design interventions centering on messages with consideration of cultural and other contextual factors

--realizing that one can learn the content and techniques of different kinds of work but if one cannot communicate how, why, or what people should or could do in a situation, then the content and techniques go nowhere

--translating and embedding communication work in multidisciplinary and funded projects.

10. As our interview comes to an end, we would like to thank you for your participation and ask that you make a final conclusion and share with us any final words of wisdom that you may have.

I have to laugh about words of wisdom. I still feel as though I am at the beginnings of learning. There is so much to explore and so many new findings from different disciplines and parts of the world. If you are passionate about what you do, you'll draw in people who share your enthusiasm and help you develop further networks. Be there to mentor and support others as your own mentors have done for you. Finally, you never know when a chance exchange at a conference can lead to a life-long friendship and collaboration.

Thank you for taking the time to interview me. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to share some of my insights and I look forward to hearing from readers of this essay!

Lin Zhu

University of Maryland

Correspondence to:

Lin Zhu

Department of Communication

2130 Skinner Building

University of Maryland

College Park, MD 20742-7635

Email: juliezhu@umd.edu