Respect Authority in New Workplaces

Elizabeth Wardle’s article “Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces” examines the relationship between workplace cultures and the development of a person’s writing skills. She argues that in order for employees to write effectively in a new workplace, they must first understand the cultural expectations and power dynamics that are already created inside of that workplace. She also writes on a young man named Alan who acts above the authority and he fails to learn the new workplace culture.

In the length of her article she explores the concept of “discourse communities,” which we have read about previously. We now know they are groups of people who share a common goal and use a particular language and set of practices to achieve said goal. For example we can say the people who work together at a specific fashion magazine such as Vogue have a particular set of goals and language they use unknown to those on the outside. Wardle suggests that in order for employees to write effectively within a particular discourse community, they must understand its expectations for writing, including tone, style, and format.

Authority within Discourse Communities

Wardle also discusses the importance of authority within discourse communities, noting that those who hold more authority often have more influence over the language and writing practices of the group. This can definitely create challenges for new employees who may struggle to establish their own authority within the group. On the other hand Alan decided to create his own authority right off the bat. He thought of himself as God and for that he lost the respect of his coworkers. Sending long and constant emails made his colleagues laugh at him and he would highly regret it in the long run. It can be said that it is very important to write along with authority and not trying to be the authority especially coming in as someone from the outside.

Overall, Wardle’s article highlights the importance of understanding workplace cultures and discourse communities in order to develop effective writing skills. By recognizing the power dynamics and expectations of a particular workplace, employees such as Alan can better understand the challenges of writing in a new setting.