In Elizabeth Wardle’s article “Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces” she discusses the three ways that newcomers try to belong to a new community. The three ways that newcomers try to belong to a community include engagement, imagination, and alignment. The first way of belonging, engagement, is very important because it is the way that the newcomers of a discourse community become first associated with the older members of the community. For example at my discourse community, Bagel Street Deli, the newer employees must begin a conversation with the older employees to begin to conjure up a relationship with them. If they were to come into Bagel Street and not engage in conversation or even participate in the work, they would never be accepted into the discourse community.
The next way newcomers become accepted into a discourse community would be imagination. Imagination is important because when using your imagination, you are expanding yourself and your experiences. You create new images of the world and of you and by doing this you become more open minded to becoming part of the discourse community. In my discourse community, Bagel Street Deli the newcomers use their imagination to become accepted when they begin to try to “picture” or imagine what jobs they will succeed at or when they are figuring out what jobs they enjoy doing the best. For example figuring out what techniques of “bageling” or bagel making work best for you.
The final way newcomers use to become accepted into a discourse community is by alignment. Alignment is the negotiation or the acceptance of how the discourse community works. When becoming accepted into the community new members must align their particular ways with the older members. This requires a combination of conforming and figuring out what works for you. At Bagel Street Deli it would be making sure that you are doing the job in a way that is acceptable to the other members, using your own techniques and what others taught you.
Each new employee enculturates the discourse community because every time we hire a new person, new relationships form, new methods are created, and new jobs are discovered or maybe old jobs are done in new ways. Each new employee eventually brings something new and great to the restaurant.
I think our definitions for these three modes are very much in line with each other. I especially agree with your explanation for alignment. I like the phrase "negotiation of acceptance", as it really pertains to Alan's story where he was seemingly unwilling to negotiate much of anything at all in his jobs. It is very much a process of negotiation when entering a new community.
ReplyDeleteI really like the way you describe your example of engagement. It's interesting that you guys have the new employees come up to the older ones and have a conversation in order to strive to belong. Engagement is the most important of the three ways newcomers can become accepted into a discourse community because that's the main reason we even join a discourse community is to engage other members in conversations, friendships, and tasks.
ReplyDeleteWardle says that engagement is a common thing between newcomers and old-timers getting to know each other and it is a back and forth mutual process. "Engagement entails defining a "common enterprise" that newcomers and old-timers pursue together". For you, at your work, it sounds a little bit more like you guys want the newcomers to respect the old-timers so you have them reach out to you to engage in conversations. I think sometimes that can seem a bit unfair, but it's completely natural when you think about it. It's the whole revolving process of how a discourse community works. New people come in, and eventually work their way up, through prolonged engagement, imagination and alignment and become the old-timers.
I agree with your understanding of alignment to a point. I would as though that alignment isn't completely one way. You as the newcomer once you reach the point of alignment don't have to conform exactly to how the old-timers expect you to. Once you get to the point of alignment yes you will have some conformity but also it is a time for you to stand out and challenge the authority and test boundaries. Once you see where and how far you can go or challenge those authorities, then you can settle into a "groove" so to speak. For example, when you are working at the Bagel Street Deli you attempt to do your job in alignment with what is expect, but you might also try a new approach to a project and stretch your boundaries. From doing this you figure out where your alignment can fall and where the alignment of your authority figures will fall at. Just as Alan refused to change his writing sometimes an individual in alignment needs to sometimes refuse things presented by there authority as to test there boundaries of alignment.
ReplyDeleteI feel that you explanations of the three modes agree very much with my understanding of them. In particular, your description of engagement is very good. You show how if new members fail to create relationships with older members, they will never be fully accepted. This applies to the case study of Alan because he never formed relationships with the people he was working with. Hence, he was never really accepted, just as you describe.
ReplyDeleteI liked your view of engagement, making it sound like "engage or get fired". Ok it is not nearly that intense But, I think you are right the initial engagement by the new employee. They need to get that first impression in with all the other employees if they want stand a chance at a new job. I feel like Alan would not fit in very well in most communities, especially at the begal street deli because he states he "was getting no respect" at his old job and quit. Does not sound like a people person.
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