A newcomer gains power: An analysis of the role of rhetorical expertise

Abstract

Theories of organizational power explain how an entry-level employee in a hierarchically structured organization was able to have a significant impact on her workplace. These theories tell us that one way to gain power is by demonstrating some type of expertise that is valued within the organization. This case study of an auditor who was an expert writer will demonstrate how her expertise led to changes within the organization. As a young woman at the lowest professional level in a male-dominated bureaucratic organization, she would not have been expected to gain power. However, her rhetorical expertise - her awareness of the importance of audience and purpose, and her knowledge of what to say and how to say it - gave her the power to revise the processes by which her organization did its work, to rewrite the job descriptions of the managers within the organization, and to create a unique role for herself within the workgroup. © 1998 by the Association for Business Communication.