Collaborative Writing in the Workplace

Collaborative writing isn’t a process that comes naturally – it is learned.  According to Dana Herreman, an English teacher and author who wrote an essay for NCTE’s Focus on Collaborative Learning, "The group process must be taught . . . Just because individuals can be configured into a circle does not mean that they will automatically become good communicators." (qtd. in Chisholm, 96)  This comment reflects the main concern of this research project: that collaboration in written projects in the workplace is often expected, but is rarely fostered through any method.

 

The goal of my TRIP Project Portfolio Site is to demonstrate how collaborative writing processes are valuable in the workplace.  First, I will posit that though the written product is valued over the process used to create it in professional contexts, that effective writing processes must be taught to employees to benefit companies in the long run.  Second, I will address how collaborative writing doesn't come naturally, considering how frequently writing is viewed as an individual process, and therefore training employees how to write collaboratively is essential.  This project will consider many elements of collaborative writing by focusing on the process used to create it and the environment in which it takes place in.  I will discuss what kind of issues can come up in collaborative writing and how to practically address these issues, or rather, how to anticipate and lessen them with my application section.

 

This website will focus on collaborative writing processes and how to teach them in companies or businesses that require written work from their employees.  This is a pretty broad statement, but I am designing this project to be broadly applicable, which I will further explain later in this report.  However, one of the main environments in which this training is helpful is in technical writing, and I will draw research and reasoning from technical writing studies to support my methods.  I will apply teaching pedagogy (theory and practice) to workplace writing collaboration, and I will apply rhetorical concepts to professional fields to enhance my claims.