Positioning and framing: Constructing interactional asymmetry in employer‐employee discourse

Abstract

The article develops the theme of interactional asymmetry by bringing into focus a hierarchical context of a single employer‐employee conversation. Drawing on the notions of positioning (Davies & Harre, 1990) and interactive frames (Tannen & Wallat, 1987), this study argues that the asymmetrical dynamics of a workplace interaction are revealed better when captured in terms of discursively produced selves as opposed to given identities. Furthermore, the discussion of shifts in interactive frames shows that interactional asymmetry does not overarch the analyzed employer‐employee conversation. Throughout the exchange, the employee actively contributes to reshaping the interaction: first by exhibiting resistance to the asymmetry, then by revoking it, and finally by initiating a sociorelational frame. Overall, this article takes the view that the employer‐employee interaction constitutes a balancing act between symmetrical and asymmetrical dynamics of talk.