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Mystification and Social Drama: The Hidden Side of Communication Skills Training

Department of Management, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts 01609.

Melinda Costello

Department of Organization and Management, School of Management, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y. 13244.

This paper examines several aspects of management communication skills training. It discusses communication "skills" and their hidden potential as methods that sustain and mystify bureaucratic control. It also examines the social drama of communication skills training. Based on participant observation of a 4-day communication skills training seminar, the paper identifies and discusses six categories which, we argue, are designed to convert participants into practitioners and believers of the skills: creating an aura of status and wealth, creating an aura of credibility, minimizing risk, creating a "flow," trainer/participant testimonials, and closing-down-the-day rituals. The paper also looks at two groups of "nonbelievers" who resisted the training content or process. Last, the paper looks at why the workshop ultimately failed, discusses the covert aspects of management training, and speculates on management communication training that "demystifies."

Key Words: communication • management • persuasion • social drama • training

Human Relations, Vol. 45, No. 5, 427-445 (1992)
DOI: 10.1177/001872679204500501


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