Context Matters: Exploring the Influence of Norms, Values, and Context on a Māori Male Manager

Abstract

Adopting an Interactional Sociolinguistic approach, this article focuses on one Māori male manager working in an ethnicised Māori workplace and examines the way he adapts his interaction patterns in meetings where he takes on different roles. The role of chair requires being much more active than when simply attending as a member of the team, while the additional responsibility of “acting CEO” adds extra interactional obligations and expectations. Team norms are important, these being constrained by the cultural context, and the analysis demonstrates how the focus participant’s adaptation of his interaction patterns reflects Māori norms and the values underlying these.