Contribution-Representation-Subordination as conversational patterns

Building on Weick and Roberts (1993) initial distinction between three interactional patterns (Contribution, Representation, Subordination), this paper explores how collective minding (Cooren, 2004) could be manifested – and potentially performed or enacted – even during day to day interactions – or routines – in the workplace. Analysing a telephone exchange selected among a voluminous corpus of recorded interactions occurring during the routines of inter-organizational relationships (the delivery process in the French furniture sector), we present a model of conversational patterns likely to be involved in the manifestation of collective minding. We then discuss the implication of this analysis for current controversies in organizational communication theories (Cooren 2006; McPhee, Myers & Trethewey 2006). Keywords: collective mind(ing); dialogue/conversation/interaction analysis; Inter-firm collaboration; organizational communication