University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2013 Performing the Personal Within the Organizational: Communicating Professional Identities Through Taiwanese Commercial Airline Pilots' Personal Narratives Kai-chun Chuang University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Communication Commons Recommended Citation Chuang, Kai-chun, "Performing the Personal Within the Organizational: Communicating Professional Identities Through Taiwanese Commercial Airline Pilots' Personal Narratives" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 968. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/968 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. PERFORMING THE PERSONAL WITHIN THE ORGANIZATIONAL: COMMUNICATING PROFESSIONAL IDENTITIES THROUGH TAIWANESE COMMERCIAL AIRLINE PILOTS’ PERSONAL NARRATIVES __________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Social Sciences University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________ by Kai-chun Chuang June 2013 Advisor: Dr. Bernadette Marie Calafell © Copyright by Kai-chun Chuang 2013 All Rights Reserved Author: Kai-chun Chuang Title: PERFORMING THE PERSONAL WITHIN ORGANIZATIONAL: COMMUNICATING PROFESSIONAL IDENTITIES THROUGH TAIWANESE COMMERCIAL AIRLINE PILOTS’ PERSONAL NARRATIVES Advisor: Dr. Bernadette Marie Calafell Degree Date: June 2013 Abstract This dissertation project explored professionalism and the performance of identities by examining Taiwanese commercial airline pilots’ discursive practices in everyday life. The intentions for this project were to not only expand current knowledge of organizational communication from a critical rhetorical perspective, but to further explore the under-appreciated concept of professionalism of organizational members. Theoretically, I traced theoretical analysis in the sociology of professions and further investigated scholarship from identity research in organizational communication studies. This research agenda helped to advance communication-based understandings of the meanings and practices of professional identity as a complement to the sociological conception. I further merged a performance paradigm and critical rhetorical perspective to examine the discursive practices of organizational members and to challenge the bias of traditional textual approaches. Methodologically, I conducted ethnographic interviews with Taiwanese commercial airline pilots in order to understand how they construct their personal, social, and professional identities. Five narrative themes were identified and demonstrated in this project: (1) It takes a lot to become a commercial airline pilot, (2) Being a professional commercial airline pilot is to build up sufficient knowledge, beyond average skill, and correct attitude, (3) Pilots’ resistance and dissent toward company management, (4) Popular (re)presentation influences professionalism, (5) Power and fear ii affect professionalism. Pilots’ personal narratives were presented in performative writing and in poetic transcription to make word alive with sounds featuring their meanings. Their personal storytelling created a dialogic space to not only let pilots’ voice to be heard but also revealed how identities are created within and against a larger organizational identity. Overall, this project demonstrated the interdisciplinary examination of the meanings, functions, and consequence of discursive practices in everyday professional life. It also critiqued relationships between power, domination, and resistance while reintroducing the roles of the body and materiality in the domain of professionalism, and provides ethical readings of larger and complex organizational cultures. Applying communication-oriented analysis to study professionalism indeed challenged the long time neglected phenomena regarding the power of the symbolic in sociological approaches and raised the awareness of structural, material, and bodily condition of work. iii Acknowledgements I have to begin by thanking both Dr. Bernadette Marie Calafell and Dr. Daniel J. Lair. Dan led me into the world of Organizational Communication. Without his guidance, I would not be able to come up with most ideas of this research. Bernadette walked into my life later, and she truly embodies the mentorship to take care of her advisees. The unconditional supports she provided helped me finish my dissertation and influenced me to become a better scholar and teacher. I thank Dr. Roy V. Wood and Dr. Christina R. Foust providing amazing and valuable comments for future directions of this project. I also thank Dr. Lisa Martinez who served as my committee chair and provided her suggestions of this study. Same gratitude also goes to other faculties in the Communication Studies at DU. My college mentors, Dr. Songin Wang and Dr. Yaly Chao, encouraged me to advance graduate studies abroad and constantly checked on me to make sure I was on the right track. I appreciate Mr. Hou-Fang Howard Ho who assisted me in the data collection process. Dr. Richard G. Jones Jr., Dr. Amy Zsohar, Jessica Baty McMillan, and Jolene Collins took me to their circles from the first year I was in the program. They never cold-shouldered to me because of my international student status. Instead, they helped me fit into the life in the United States. Supports from other colleagues and friends in both Taiwan and the United States should also be acknowledged as well. Finally, without the continuing financial and spiritual support from my parents, I would not be able to finish graduate studies in the United States. I am forever indebted to them. From now on my parents can be proud and loud to tell friends and extended families that their son has Ph.D. I dedicate this dissertation to my beloved Dad and Mom. iv Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 From Pioneer’s Era to Modernization: The Flying Stories of Pilots ...................... 1 Personal Investment: My Journey to Study Taiwanese Commercial Airline Pilots 7 Bringing (Organizational) Communication Perspective into Conversations ........ 11 An Intersectional Perspective for Studying Commercial Airline Pilots as Professional ........................................................................................................... 17 History of Taiwan Based China Airlines .............................................................. 21 From early years to modernization. .......................................................... 21 Battling to the loss. ................................................................................... 23 New start and image.................................................................................. 29 Summary ............................................................................................................... 30 Chapter Two: Conceptual Framework .............................................................................. 32 Tracing Sociology of Professions ......................................................................... 33 From functionalism to interactionism professions. ................................... 33 Larson’s professional project. ................................................................... 36 Abbott’s the system of the professions. .................................................... 38 Knowledge and professions. ..................................................................... 42 Communicating Professional Identity................................................................... 44 Highlights of identity research in organizational communication studies. 44 Approaching professional identity through a communication perspective. ................................................................................................................... 48 Power, Discourse, and Resistance ........................................................................ 55 Foucault’s genealogical writings. ............................................................. 57 Power, discourse and organizational communication. .............................. 60 Resistance and dominance in organizations. ............................................ 63 Summary ............................................................................................................... 67 Chapter Three: Methodology and Research Design ......................................................... 69 The Performance Paradigm................................................................................... 71 Cultural performance. ............................................................................... 71 Performativity. .......................................................................................... 73 Dwight Conquergood’s interventions in performance ethnography. ........ 74 Performance and Personal Narratives ................................................................... 78 The performance turn in personal narratives. ........................................... 78 Politics of personal narrative—Personal narratives against master narrative. ..................................................................................................