Research

How do organizational contexts and networks affect teamwork and collaboration?

Supporting diverse teams.pdf

My research

My research asks How do organizational contexts and networks affect teamwork and collaboration? I take a multi-level approach to studying:

  • how diverse teams and organizations can effectively work together

  • how policies affect organizational members

  • how organizational infrastructure affects research collaborations

  • how external environments affect team coordination and teamwork

My research aims to make visible relationships that are often taken for granted or hidden, to build communication theory, and to provide practical information for supporting teams and organizations as they work together across boundaries. On the left, you'll see findings from Wilson et al. (2020) on supporting diverse teams as they work together! This article has also been animated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96dNr-T0T2s

Selected Publications & Presentations

Navigate to my collaborators' webpages by clicking their names in the citations below.


* - indicated undergraduate co-authors


Ruge-Jones, L., Barley, W. C., MacSwain, C., Wilson, S., Everett, J.*, Wasielewski, A.*, Johnson, L. P., & Poole, M. S. (2021, November). How and when differences make a difference: A qualitative study of activated differences on diverse teams. Top Four Papers in Group Communication paper session, Group Communication Division, National Communication Association. Seattle, WA. Top Paper Panel


Ruge-Jones, L. (2021, May). Re-visualizing Constitutive Communication of Organizations as a framework for studying inter-organizational processes. Research escalator session, Organizational Communication Division, International Communication Association. Virtual Conference.


Ruge-Jones, L., Eckenstein, E.*, & Mastroianni, S*. (2021, May). What does it mean to be a student-athlete? An examination of student-athlete identity tensions and administrative policies. Online presentation, Sports Communication Division, International Communication Association. Virtual Conference.

Wilson, S. R., Barley, W. C., Ruge-Jones, L., & Poole, M. S. (2020). Tacking amid tensions: Using oscillation to enable creativity in diverse teams. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0021886320960245

Pilny, A., Dobosh, M., Poole, M. S., Yahja, A., Ruge-Jones, L., Proulx, J., & Campbell, A. (2020). Team coordination in uncertain environments: The role of processual communication networks. Human Communication Research, 46(4), 385-411. doi:10.1093/hcr/hqz020


Ruge-Jones, L., Barley, W. C., Wilson, S., Moder, J., Whittaker, J., Poole, M. S., & Kuslikis, A. (2020, July). Compounding barriers: How barriers interact to inhibit diverse scientific teams. Paper presentation, Interdisciplinary Network for Group Research. Virtual Conference.


Wilson, S., Ruge-Jones, L., Barley, W. C., & Poole, M. S. (2019, November). Tacking amid tension: Using oscillation to enable creativity in diverse teams. Paper presentation, Group Communication Division, National Communication Association. Baltimore, MD. Top Paper Award

Sumner, E. M., Ruge-Jones, L., & Alcorn, D. (2018). A functional approach to the Facebook Like button: An exploration of meaning, interpersonal functionality, and potential alternative response buttons. New Media & Society, 20(4), 1451-1469. doi:10.1177/1461444817697917