Alissa, a 25 year old recent graduate from Iowa State University’s Rhetoric, Composition and Professional Communication Masters program, has been looking for a job which would exemplify the valuable experiences her professors provided her. These experiences, such as modifying a website and drafting a usable grant, were an attempt to bridge the gap between academia and the workplace. At points Alissa felt as if the workplace was not accurately represented in her class work, though she did gain valuable information from these experiences (Blakeslee 349-50). The effectiveness of such practices was not charted and is still not fully understood, yet Alissa drew from her experiences a perception of what the workplace is, though she still feels slightly naïve as she ventures into a week filled with numerous interviews.

Alissa has had aspirations of being hired by some posh company to create documents and make her millions. Her dreams are about to come true as she enters what appears to be a generic board room for her third interview of the week. Ethical Financial Group (EFG) is the target this time and her reception by the management seems cool at first. Alissa has gone into every interview thus far with an optimistic view and this time she knows she is perfect for their needs and knows she must display this overtly. After an hour-long interview Alissa is informed that she is EFG’s newest technical communicator.

As nervous as she is she knows she won this job over many other applicants and must step up to the new competition she will encounter as a member of this professional community. Alissa has read many studies dealing with workplace competition and is now experiencing what they spoke of first hand. To accomplish her task as technical communicator Alissa finds that she must constantly compete with other professionals, many of whom do not share her profession. Alissa always envisioned there would be open communication within a company, such as in a family and is stunned to see the vast lack of this necessary communication. She soon realizes the problem lies in the individuals as many are concerned more with getting their job done on time rather than getting it done right and actually communicating with their colleagues to get the necessary information. Alissa also knows that her job requires her to not only bring awareness to professional co-habitation but also to enhance communication across different boundaries such as between different departments.

Alissa realizes the true intensity her job will require of her, not only to enhance this communication but to also integrate communication with everyday functions of EFG. Unfortunately she finds there is much resistance to this integration as many are stuck in their routine and many do not share the same goals (Spilka 372-374). Alissa now comprehends why multitasking was a necessary skill to master in Graduate school as she receives her first project while still pondering the communication dilemma. Her first project after being hired at EFG is to create a marketing strategy for Diablin, a new biogenetic drug that may help cure diabetes. She knows that Diablin will potentially help to cure many people, and so she feels an intense pressure to gain the positive media attention this drug and the scientists working on it need and deserve. The scientists currently working on Diablin are funded, in large part, by EFG. As Alissa finds out, technical communication plays an integral role in corporate competition which she soon finds out plays a large part in any project she undertakes. In this paper we will explore Alissa’s life as she encounters opposition, resentment and finally acceptance developing this marketing strategy.

Is the technical communicator infallible as the creator of knowledge?

Alissa begins her first project at EFG in a series of meetings focusing on the various terms for her first project. She is excited yet nervous as she learns that she must interact with the scientists creating and testing Diablin. At the bottom of her project requirements she finds that these particular scientists have a history of resisting media attention coinciding with what her education taught her (Nelkin 133). The development of Diablin may place many of these scientists on the fast-track to wide-spread success, yet they are still hesitant to meet with the media to enhance knowledge and marketing of Diablin. Alissa’s responsibilities for this assignment seem easy enough: discuss the implications of this research with the scientists, design a marketing campaign to enhance media awareness of Diablin and present to the board of directors her final product.

As Alissa meets for the first time with the scientists in charge of developing and testing Diablin, she is overwhelmed by their bitter resentment toward her. Alissa knows technical communication is enveloped by the need to add value to a product or a company. Though she knows her role is to increase the value of Diablin in the eye of the public (Hughes 275) she also knows an unwritten and unspoken requirement is to increase media attention for both EFG and their affiliates. Alissa knows the resentment coming from the scientists is due, at least in part, to their individualistic desire to enhance the value of this product on their own.

The success of this project is now in limbo as Alissa must cope with this resentment; attempt to build trust with the scientists while creating a successful marketing campaign. If these scientists accomplish to their goal of becoming their own entity, this project may end with their looking for work rather than creating this miracle drug which might also jeopardize the success of Diablin. She likens what Kuhn says about shifting commitments with his idea of paradigms, that is that each community (whether scientific, technical communication or public) has their own set of rules as to how they govern that community (Kuhn 6). These paradigms are inherent in all members of each community. So the phenomena can be traced back in time to the beginning of every society. If the work Alissa must complete with the help of these scientists is tainted by the paradigm each of them including Alissa grew up with, Alissa knows her job just got much more difficult. Alissa also knows because of this she must play the role of both technical communicator and soothsayer at the same time.

At this same point in her project Alissa thinks back to her Masters program and what she learned about being immersed in the community she is working with. Her interactions with the members of this scientific community may be stressed, and she must learn to use the tools provided her within that community. It is Alissa’s job to be flexible enough to use these tools while understanding this community in relation to the duel role assigned her (Blakeslee 349). It is her actions while submersed in this community of scientists that draws most of her focus now. As Alissa is a part of the public that may some day need Diablin while being a part of the scientific community developing the drug, it is her responsibility to portray the scientific community in a good light to the public.

This multi-tasking role of the technical communicator is one seen by Alissa and one she has yet to fully understand. However, she must set aside her qualms and focus on her first goal, to learn more about Diablin. Even as she observes the scientists, Alissa feels as if she is not getting all of the information about how this new medicine works. She knows she must speak more in-depth with the scientists to gain this knowledge. However, even though she is interested in their work, which she thought would be considered flattery; she finds more resentment is being geared her way. Alissa soon realizes that if EFG is to remain dominant as the financial backing of this new medication craze, these scientists must cooperate. Alissa also knows whatever the customer wants she must provide, or suffer the severe consequences of losing her job with EFG (Walters 1).

If these scientists do not soon cooperate with her study, then EFG will be forced to cut them free. If EFG cannot get the product to the consumer because the scientists would not cooperate with their technical writer then EFG will have no use for either her or the scientists. The only way to remain competitive in this ever-changing world is to get the product to the user faster than the competition. This means there must be complete cooperation within EFG.

Alissa now believes all professionals are in competition since her first project goal is to get Diablin to the public faster than EFG’s leading competitors (Lueke 122). Alissa’s job as technical communicator incorporates this competition with professional writing. By successfully incorporating both aspects into a final product Alissa will have created her own template for how EFG is supposed to function in future similar situations. It is also her job to make Diablin relatable to that public.

Can templates replace the technical communicator?

Alissa knows to coherently relate Diablin to an audience she must learn more about Diablin. Though she already knows something about it as she has been in close contact with the women and men who are developing Diablin, yet she still feels as if she does not know enough. For instance, she does not know the intricate details of the side-effects or how long it must be ingested to take effect, or even how effective it will be to the population it is sold to. Alissa knows her explicit ignorance must be changed into explicit knowledge before she can create awareness for an audience (Hughes 278). She knows from past experience she must be careful in how she approaches the scientists as they are very resistant to any change to their work environment. She decides to further explore the depth of her ignorance to find out exactly what she needs to know.

One main aspect of Alissa’s job in making Diablin relatable to the public is to translate the scientist’s explicit knowledge in ways the public will understand which Alissa better understands as knowledge management. Alissa thinks of her education and how she learned that when using any product the consumer is engaged in an activity and their actions are, at least in part defined and scripted from the socially cultured world they come from (Freedman and Adam 312). It is not that the public is ignorant of the product; it is that they do not know as much about it as the scientists do. Alissa thinks back to what she recently watched on television: all those drug commercials, none saying exactly what the drug is for, just saying that the public needs to buy it NOW; such as the ones showing the individual frolicking happily through a field of flowers. The typical commercial template for these medications is commonly seen yet the product is not known until the very end if at all. How helpful is this to the user, if they only know what the side-effects are, not what the drug is or does?

This idea of templates is one very close to Alissa as her first hurdle at EFG was to learn the previous explicit knowledge her predecessor left behind. By learning this explicit knowledge she increased both her general knowledge and proficiency. Alissa knows as long as she has this template she can fashion this project in a way already suitable to EFG (Hughes 280). This general template, in relation to her current project Alissa knows tha tot create her own version of a template she must first gain the trust of the scientists so as to create a comprehensive template. To use the aforementioned knowledge management Alissa must use the knowledge of the scientists to relate the product to the consumers. Alissa’s job of dispersing this knowledge holds many connotations, one of which is that she knows that her knowledge is being constantly measured by scope and duration (Hughes 279). The mere facts she must explain not only to members of the company but the public as well, what they may already, though unconsciously, know seems absurd, yet how can they use the knowledge if they do not know they possess it? This may seem to be a minor part of what technical communicators do, but depending on how vast this tacit knowledge distends determines how hard the job may become. Alissa defines tacit knowledge as knowledge expressed mainly through action; an action we unconsciously know how to perform (Hughes 278). Alissa has many fears of this template though.

Although the original template enhanced her proficiency level, it may decrease the demand for her job. As Alissa battles daily with the scientists she wonders if this template that so helped her begin this project could ever replace her as a technical communicator. Alissa knows the template works as a bridge between the knowing and the currently ignorant replacement, and that this template gives her more power to create freely. But, could this template ever gain power itself? If this template were to gain this power, could its power ever exceed Alissa’s?

Alissa spends a few minutes thinking about this and decides it is possible the template could gain more power than she, but only if she were to allow it to. Alissa knows that she must add to the template to gain more knowledge and power for herself. This way she can keep ahead of any competition with vying technical communicators as well as this Frankenstein’s monster of a template. There is one problem Alissa realizes she has not yet accounted for: can templates change over time? This is totally possible and necessary in this ever-changing world. Alissa assumes if Diablin is to help the millions it wants to, it must be surrounded by the hero-like quality the scientists have assumed (Spinuzzi 3-4). This hero-like quality is one every designer of any innovation must take on if they want their product to gain attention as no consumer wants to use a product the designer is not proud of.

Does the competition between professionals enhance the end result?

Though this template has made Alissa’s job much easier she knows it is not the only aspect of her job that may exceed her power. She knows the competition she experienced in graduate school is even more intense in the professional world. She also acknowledges she must compete to survive, yet does not understand if this competition is truly necessary or beneficial to the end product.

Alissa focuses on the competition that happens between differing professions, how they need one another to survive yet there is still resentment. This idea of survival of the fittest being revisited is one which deserves much thought. She also knows there are external controls that may create or hinder this survival such as another company rising and over powering the smaller companies (Nelkin 133). Even though the scientists understand this media attention will help them gain power in the public’s eye they are still hesitant. The scientists Alissa is working with know they need media attention though they do not necessarily want national visibility even if it brings the financial support they need. This causes them to finally open up to Alissa, their liaison to the public and the savior of their profession (Nelkin 133).

Now that Alissa has gained the trust of the scientists it is time to focus on her project for EFG. This will make it necessary for her to research EFG to find how they have handled past similar projects. She remembers her training and finds that her work and research of various archives from different companies may offer her some opening into the psyche of EFG. Alissa knows that to survive in the corporate world she is now a part of she must become strong in the eyes of the scientists. Even though she knows they cannot fire her or reduce her credibility, she does know this project represents her status in EFG. The social order that exists in corporate archives is a key tool to remaining active and strong in the professional world. The history of EFG is held in their archives and because they are so strong now, Alissa knows it was wrought through hard work and determination. Because EFG has survived for so long what their archives can teach her may be invaluable (Shirk 131).

The scientists Alissa is currently working with know they need the media attention Alissa will bring but loathe its necessity. Their views toward technical communicators are not favorable, though it is mainly these technical writers that give the pubic a favorable view toward science. This growing resentment has caused much confusion for Alissa and the scientists. She does not know if they are being entirely honest because of their resentment. In this increasingly competitive world it is the survival of the fittest theory that keeps Alissa employed and needed products on the shelf. These scientists may have great ideas but, internally, have no way of communicating these ideas to a community willing to buy into it. Alissa can persuade the public one way or the other, yet with no valid information, she is useless. Only when the two professions work together will they survive and flourish.

Alissa knows if she does not accomplish the projected goals of this task EFG could end up failing like many past great companies and societies have. If all scientists in the nation were as reclusive as those Alissa is working with our whole civilization could fall like Rome or Alexandria did (Nelkin 136). There will always be competition between professions, this cannot be avoided. Alissa knows that she lives in a strong society and to stay strong that society must value this competition but use it reasonably. It must relent its desire for ultimate power if it is to survive the great civilizations of the past.

Perhaps the only way around the issue is to embrace the inherent competition. What Alissa does as a technical communicator helps to keep jobs within EFG, therefore creating a lasting and solid workforce within the company. By increasing EFG’s knowledge assets Alissa is enhancing their durability and wealth (Hughes 283). What Alissa does increases the reliability of the company as well as speeding up the time it takes for the product to get to the consumer.

Even though the scientists begin to open up to her, Alissa still feels the initial resentment and fears this is causing them to either hold back vital information or feed her false information unbeknownst to her. Even for this Alissa knows she must stay in constant contact with the scientists to finish the project though she has serious reservations about the type of information she is receiving. The communication style in practice between Alissa and the scientists has not been backed by any organizational decision making or concrete communication. It is apparent in all societies there is some sort of inherent organization that all must and do follow. These shared beliefs comprise the main part of that culture (Burnett 58). Each culture, whether that be the scientific culture or the culture of the public that we all belong to, is essentially one big give and take relationship (Burnett 159). Alissa knows she must create this organization if she is to believe what the scientists say. Through enhanced communication, Alissa hopes to show the scientists that to gain the fame they want they will have to partake in this relationship they so detest.

Coherent communication can benefit the scientists as there will be increased economic competition which has been dwindling due to this lack of communication (Scholl 1). This should prove to Alissa that if she does not persevere not only will these scientists be out of work, but EFG will lose business possibly causing Alissa to find herself unemployed. Even for this added pressure, Alissa needs to be able to trust the scientists to give her accurate information.

Alissa can think of several times when false information had been leaked to the public and panic has ensued. The misinformation given by scientists to bolster recognition of their work has often led to severe consequences (Nelkin 142) such as when a prominent scientist was fired for publishing his findings before all the testing was complete. If the scientists feed Alissa even a small amount of false information lives could possibly be at stake. Even if no lives were at stake EFG and other companies backing the scientists’ research and providing materials could pull their support if false information is verified as correct.

One major question is now raised in Alissa’s mind, is there a true balance between too much competition that drives one toward misleading the public and not enough competition driving one toward holding back necessary information? Is there any real difference between the two? In Alissa’s mind there is not. She can think of situations when public panic may ensue if information is not backed up in some manner (Nelkin 143). This use of scare tactics and misinformation may cause mayhem to ensue. Misinformation at a crucial time of discovery may lead to the destruction of the discovery itself. This interlocking probability can occur and is one both detrimental to our society and our dealings with other societies.

Alissa knows she must soon report the progress she is making on this project to her supervisors. She also knows it is not customary to relate the extent of the problems she has encountered when presenting this information. Alissa’s superiors’ are checking only the progress not the reliability of the information (Spilka 377). Alissa does, however, fear that if she presents even a small amount of false information fed to her by the scientists some pandemic would ensue. Though her information sounds credible she is uncertain of the extent of the credibility. Her final decision was to take the gathered information to an outside consulting firm and confirm her findings. To her surprise she found that all the information was correct and that the scientists were being honest even if not openly warm to her.

Is a co-existing future possible for technical communicators?

Alissa pulls all she knows about these scientists and decides even though they are hesitant to share their information, they are not ill-natured people. Alissa now truly believes their profession expects them to control their projects, they may believe that they also must control the environment their creation functions in. Even for this, Alissa believes they must know they cannot control the media and so may feel at a loss. She also believes they were taking this frustration out on her because she, to them, was the face of the media.

Alissa believes this controlling nature stems from their education and how it may not have fostered in them a true respect for media attention. She remembers in her own education a pedagogical approach did not suit her style of communication. It caused her to stop questioning why things were done in a certain way and resenting the information, even though it has proved useful in her current project. Alissa can see that at the time it was not an appropriate mode of communication which she now can relate to the background of the scientists (Kuhn 1).

Alissa also realizes it may be the history of the subject of technical communication that guides all her actions. Because Alissa has been schooled in the history of technical communication, she is innately contributing to her success in this career. Alissa knows the past frequently informs present actions (Shirk 128-29). Because of this Alissa knows the current mistrusting actions of the scientists may be dictated on their past as scientists. These actions may be unconsciously bred into their psyches over years of practice. Alissa begins to wonder if perhaps the culture in which they grew up misled them into thinking all media coverage was bad. Alissa can remember times in her own life when she felt jaded by what and how information was taught to her. Our society is concerned with progress, mostly technological.

The progressive nature in which most of our youth is taught may be detrimental to the learning process. Alissa can see how the distinct views of nature and society can dictate how one would observe that society. It is all in the way that the individual practices their field in that society that shapes who they are. (Kuhn 4) That each member of society learns from the community they grow up in is not to be disputed. What Alissa disputes is that each community teaches differently. And it is these differences that shape who we are. If the scientists she worked with had been taught from childhood to mistrust certain aspects of society, how was she to change their minds in just a few weeks? Her project was a raving success and all she has left to do was to report back to the scientists, Alissa realizes this could be the first step in mending relations between their view of science and the media.

As Alissa’s understanding of the inner workings of EFG grow and her relationship with the scientists comes to an end, she wonders if what this project wrought may someday influence future relations between workplace professionals. As Alissa has used archives in the past to gain insight into the company she is working for, she knows that her work over the past few weeks may someday be referenced by future employees of EFG so they may gain the insight necessary to complete their projects (Shirk 131).

As Alissa places the finishing touches on her project she thinks back to how her relationship with the scientists began. She remembers doubting their work and communication style. She knew at the time the way she was taught to communicate was the best possible way. After beginning to understand where the scientists were coming from, she realized that she would have to morph what she knew into a conversation style more comfortable for that situation. Though the scientists still do not totally trust the media or technical communicators, they do trust Alissa. She focused on what they knew and what they wanted and provided them with an end product that should ensure them having a long career working for EFG.

Works Cited

Blakeslee, Ann M. “Bridging the Workplace and the Academy: Teaching Professional Genres through Classroom-Workplace Collaborations.” TCQ. Vol. 10, no. 2. 2001: 169-92/348-71.

Burnett, Rebecca E. Technical Communication: 6th Ed. Boston: Thompson & Wadsworth, 2005.

Freedman, Aviva, and Christine Adam. “Learning to Write Professionally: “Situated Learning” and the Transition from University to Professional Discourse.” JBTC. Vol. 10, no. 4. 1996: 395-427/ 310-36.

Hughes, Michael. “Moving from Information Transfer to Knowledge Creation: A New Value Proposition for Technical Communicators.” TC. Vol. 49; No. 3. Aug. 2002.

Kuhn, Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago: U. of Chicago Press, 1962.

Leuke, Edith. “Gathering and Implementing Market-Driven Requirements.” IEEE. Rochester, 1995.

Nelkin, Dorothy. “The Public Relation to Science.” From Selling Science: How the Press Covers Science and Technology. New York: W. H. Freedman. 1987.

Scholl, Wolfgang. “Innovation a Multi-level Evolutionary Knowledge Production.” ERIC.

Shirk, Henrietta Nickels. “Researching the History of Technical Communication: Accessing and Analyzing Corporate Archives.” From STC Conference 2000 Proceedings. http://www.stc.org/proceedings/ConfProceed/2000/PDFs/ 00079.PDF.

Spilka, Rachel. “Communicating Across organizational Boundaries: A Challenge for Workplace Professionals.” TC. Vol. 42, no. 3. 1995: 436-50; 372-93.

Spinuzzi, Clay. Tracing Genres Through Organizations: A Sociocultural Approach to Information Design (Acting With Technology). Cambridge: MIT Press, 2003.

Walters, Dr. Helena M.J. Management and Improvement of the Extended Enterprise. Quantam House: 1997