Dialogue, language and identity: critical issues for networked management learning

Abstract

This paper draws on the work of Mikhail Bakhtin and Norman Fairclough to show how dialogue is central to the construction of identity in networked management learning. The paper is based on a case study of a networked management learning course in higher education and attempts to illustrate how participants negotiate issues of difference, inclusivity and belonging through relational dialogue.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Centre for Excellence in Leadership which funded the research reported in this paper. All comments are the sole responsibility of the authors.

Notes

1. Jim is the tutor/facilitator assigned to this group; in a later interview, one of the participants expressed the view that there had been frustration about Jim's ‘hands-off’ approach to his role as tutor—hence these initial messages refer to both Jim and Robert as missing. This relates to a concern that, despite their awareness of the networked nature of the programme, some members of the group would have liked more support and input from the tutor. The question of the tutor's role is not explored in detail here; however, it is an important emerging theme that we will address in a forthcoming paper.