Control through Communication: The Rise of System in American Management

Studies in Industry and Society

by JoAnne Yates

Winner of the Waldo Gifford Leland Prize from the Society of American ArchivistsWinner of the Alpha Kappa Psi Foundation Award for Distinguished Publication on Business Communication from the Association for Business Communication Caught in the midst of an information revolution, today's business managers and scholars are trying to assess the likely effects of the sweeping changes now taking place in technolocy and in organization. In Control through Communication JoAnne Yates looks back to the last major shift in the use of communication and information-and writes the first full and detailed account of the process by which modern managerical systems came to be created within the American business system. Focusing on the evolution of corporate communication as an integrated whole, Yates examines its functions, technologies, and genres in case studies of the Illinois Central Railroad, Scovill Manufacturing Company, and E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Grad School, Business, United States, Management

368 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1989

Reviews

[Kennedy Kaufman · Rating 4 out of 5]

essential for understanding modern managment

[Mark Bowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A. Her book is a study of the role of communication, particurally the technology of written communication, in systematic management
B. Introduction
1. Past Studies
a) In the past the evolution of communication has recieved little attention from historians
b) Business historians have studied specific business functions like accounting
c) Historians of technology have studied the invention of communication technologies like the telegraph
2. Thesis
a) This book focuses on the evolution of the communication system as an integrated whole in the American workplace in the 19th and 20th
b) The integrated whole includes functions, technologies, and genres that influence communication
3. Control through Communication
a) Control through communication is the main theme of the book
b) Control according to Yates means: Managerial control over employees (both workers and managers) , & control of processes, and flows of material. Control is the mechanism by which the managers can achieve their goals.
c) The 3 levels of this control are
(1) Downward flows: Conveyed informational procedures from management to the supervisors and workers
(2) Upward flows: Sent data up to the managers to serve as the basis for the analysis of operational efficiency
(3) Lateral flows: This was internal communication among middle levels of management to document and coordinate interactions
4. Outline of the Book
a) The book is divided into 2 parts
b) Part 1 examines the components of internal communication -functions, genres, and technology.
c) Part 2 examines specific case studies of communication systems for the Illinois Central Railroad, Scovill Manufacturing Company, & E. I. du Pont Company

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, if you can get past the unfortunate title (I don't know who thought that was a good idea...) this book is quite interesting - I read it for a class in graduate school, and I particularly enjoyed the sections describing the history of office organization, i.e. the type writer, the filing cabinets, etc.

[Ritsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for class.