Panel organizers: Geert Jacobs & Craig Rollo

This panel explores ways in which individuals or groups in organizations discursively present themselves as competent, i.e. as having the ability and willingness (possibly including generic knowledge, motive, social role, expertise and skills) to perform tasks or functions on a superior level. Competence here might encompass or overlap with notions of efficiency, success, accountability, excellence and self-justification. The papers in this panel address the question of how such displays are achieved, how they are temporally projected as well as how they interact with the context in which they are generated. Methodologically, the panel brings together research that is primarily empirical, for instance within a discourse analytical, linguistic pragmatic, text studies or ethnomethodological framework.

All presenters in this panel have been selected for the ABC Europe Research Mentoring programme.  Earlier versions of the papers were presented at the ABC Europe PhD Colloquium  in Ghent (Belgium) on 18 September 2009.

Contact: Geert Jacobs or Craig Rollo