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Linguistic Ethnography of a Multilingual Call Center pp 1–26Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Introduction

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Part of the book series: Communicating in Professions and Organizations ((PSPOD))

Abstract

Woydack offers a much-needed summary and analysis of how and why standardization, call centers, and scripts are frequently stigmatized. Building on the insight that standardization and, more specifically, scripts are not only a means for understanding current Western society but also offer insight into modern corporations, she outlines a new methodological framework. This innovative framework marries institutional ethnography with the anthropological based theory of transposition. Woydack highlights the benefits of this novel methodology for investigating the spatial significance of work environments and their organizational hierarchies. The same methods facilitate study of the dynamics of standardization and individual agency in the life of a script.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Foreign Language Business Communication, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austria

    Johanna Woydack

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  1. Johanna Woydack
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Woydack, J. (2019). Introduction. In: Linguistic Ethnography of a Multilingual Call Center. Communicating in Professions and Organizations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93323-8_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93323-8_1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-93322-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-93323-8

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