From the Structure of Text to the Dynamic of Teams: The Changing Nature of Technical Communication Practice

This article presents the results of a qualitative study of the changing practice of technical communicators in North America. The research is based on the collection and analysis of interview data from a technical communication team in the United States; the findings suggest that, for this team, the practice of technical communication is becoming more interactive and collaborative and less solitary and textual. The technical communicators who participated in this study see themselves playing a project management role on their organization’s cross-functional teams. Technical communicators on cross-functional teams are spanning boundaries between organizational practices, and are helping to forge communication flows and relationships within a loosely-knit organization.