Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces an article written by Elizabeth Wardel which explains the process in which you can gain authority and establish your identity in a new workplace. The author begins with a brief description of authority and highlights Wegner who is a sociologist who claims that there are three modes of identity for newcomers to “find their own unique identities” within new communities (Wegner 156). They include engagement, imagination, and alignment. Engagement refers to the newcomer’s interaction with the people in the group, imagination speaks about the new member of the group becoming familiar in the new environment and then alignments talks about the new member aligning themselves with the member of the groups to be accepted.
Wardle gives us an opportunity to witness how authority can be misused by exploring a case study about Alan a 23-year-old computer specialist in the humanities department of a University in the Midwest. Alan viewed himself as knowledgeable and competent in his work but was resentful because he felt like he was not valued of viewed this way by his peers. Alan’s display of authority didn’t sit well with his colleagues, he would write countless emails complaining about staff, in conversations he referred to himself as “God” stating “no one was above him but the department chair”. He was exhibiting a sense of authority that no one appointed to him officially. Yes, his colleagues depended on him because of the nature of his job, but what he didn’t understand was that he was no higher than them.
Alan may have been very competent at his job, but essentially, he in his colleagues’ eyes he was just the guy that fixed the computers. They probably developed this attitude towards him through his arrogance and through his writing. People in authority exert a sense of confidence which is usually unspoken. This confidence comes in different forms, proper communication, knowledge of work, respect for employees and competence to say the least. Alan needed more direction on the appropriate way to address his new colleagues without offending them and not seem arrogant. He needed to find out the genre and lexia of this community to become a member and be accepted by them.
Wardle’s case study of Alan just ties together the concept of authority and learning to write in new workspaces. People who have the same attitude as Alan are view as problematic and often have a hard time navigating in any discourse community or group. To Wardle’s point educators need to specifically prepare students for writing outside of the classroom. Educators need to prepare students for the change in their writing’s identity and authority going from students to new hires. As this is one of the best ways to avoid cases like Alan.
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