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Fairhurst, Gail T. and Robert A. Sarr. (1996). The Art of Framing: Managing the Language of Leadership. San Francisco: JosseyBass, 213 pages.
Gail Fairhurst and Robert Sarr's (1996) The Art of Framing is a deceptively simple book that is written with a practitioner focus for appeal beyond academic circles. As such, top officers, managers, professionals, entrepreneurs, consultants, and small business owners can learn the bases and everyday application of some sophisticated cognitive constructs, such as sense-making, mental modeling, framing/reframing, and schema or scripts. What is unusual about Fairhurst and Sarr's treatment of leadership framing is the ease with which they bridge theory and practice. Their work integrates interdisciplinary thinking and research through communication in a highly accessible fashion. It is refreshing to read an applied book that is solidly grounded in good quality communication and management research.
Because reviewing Fairhurst and Sarr's work solely from an academic orientation would do this book a disservice, I'll first outline the content of The Art of Framing and then critique it from both practitioner and academic perspectives. I conclude with ways to apply The Art of Framing in organizational communication courses and academe.
CONTENT Beginning with the preface, one recurring theme is that leadership constructs meaning by influencing how events are perceived and interpreted through symbolic and linguistic tools. Framing is "a quality of communication that causes others to accept one meaning over another" (p. xi). The goal of leadership is to create meaning in a world in which there are few "facts" and in which "leadership is realized in the everyday and routine aspects of the job-in a succession of moments rather than in landmark decisions" (p. xiii). In this way, Fairhurst and Sarr establish leadership framing as an everyday activity and as a deliberate choice of one meaning over other possible interpretations. As such, they demystify leadership as a process enacted by elite officers at special functions and situate leadership within most organizational members' communication skill repertoires and routine activities. The implications of their framing of leadership as a process that is learned, exercised daily, and inclusionary are profound as we move increasingly toward workplace democratization, employee empowerment, small business ownership, and changing employeeemployer relationships.
Fairhurst and Sarr conclude with an epilogue in which they...