The Way We Talk Around Here

Gill Ereaut is a linguistic consultant specializing in analyzing corporate cultures and their effects. She founded UK consultancy Linguistic Landscapes Ltd in 2002, pioneering the commercial application of language analysis to organizational challenges.

Foreword Preface: Planet Client and Planet Customer: how this all began SECTION I. LANGUAGE IS CULTURE Ch. 1. Getting a grip on culture · You can’t see your culture once you’re inside it · And you can’t change a culture you can no longer see · How cultures fossilise · Holding a mirror up to culture o Common alternative models (‘three levels’; metaphor; competing values; other cultural models) o The holy grail: evidence and understanding. Ch. 2. The depth on the surface: the clues all around you · Schein’s three levels of culture revisited · Language as King of Artifacts · What’s discourse analysis anyway? And how does it help? Ch.3. Seeing and feeling it: the ‘aha’ moment. · How people respond · Gut vs. head: visceral recognition vs cognitive understanding

SECTION II. HOW DOES YOUR CULTURE COMPARE? Ch. 4. The contours of a cultural landscape: some recurring patterns · Truths that organisations tell themselves, but silently o Who counts as ‘we’ and who’s ‘they’ around here o What ‘we’ think of ‘them’ o Who’s in charge around here o What we’re prepared to change vs. what we shall defend to the death. Ch. 5 The devil in the detail: how language leaks culture · Some examples: o Pronouns (mini-case study) o Agentic language (mini-case study) o Categories (mini-case study) o Customer constructions (mini-case study) o Narrative forms (mini-case study)

SECTION III: HOW CAN YOU USE THIS? Ch. 6. Once the silent assumptions are no longer silent – what next? · The window’s open – take action before it closes. · Three levels of culture: three levels of action o Everyday language o Claims and wishes o Speaking the unspoken rules that will help you now. Ch. 7. Putting the process to work 7.1 Shining a light and making the case for change o The power of spreading the ‘aha’ moment 7.2 Evolving your culture o To support strategy change o To adapt to environmental disruption o As you grow from start-up to significant 7.3 Connecting with customers o Stop an unhelpful but ‘leaking’ culture from sabotaging customer experience and communications (while you fix it) 7. Addressing persistent and thorny issues with cultural insight. o Gender and inclusion o Risk culture o Innovation Ch. 8. Afterword: Keeping the culture conversation alive: a cultural health plan · Why do this - and how? Author bio Further reading References Index Acknowledgements