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Section 1.11.4

Managerial Review

Reviewing can also be viewed as a way organizations manage work. In reviewing documents, the supervisor or the manager works with staff, often helping to reshape materials to fit group objectives. Team managers and research directors often establish report, proposal, or oral presentation schedules as a way of getting closure on projects. Time overruns are costly and potentially damaging.

The review process is often stressful, since staff and management perspectives are predictably different. The concerns of management may not be precisely aligned with those of the staff. That is, management is focused on long-term issues, which include administrative issues of cost, staffing, and work production. The staff, on the other hand, is often focused on the short-term issues of the project. Although the resulting tensions can lead to conflicts, they can also be helpful in getting individuals to focus their written work on organizational goals. The following list highlights some typical conflicts during the review process.

Writer's Perspective Supervisor's Perspective
1. I want to show what I've been doing. 1. This document needs to advance the organization's objectives.
2. He won't tell me what he wants. 2. He throws rough drafts at me.
3. I don't understand her criticisms. 3. It takes three or four reviews.
4. He tries to put it in his style. 4. I have to fix a lot of bad prose.
5. I spend too much time writing. 5. She doesn't spend enough time writing.

--J. Paradis, D. Dobrin, R. Miller, "Writing at Exxon ITD"

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## Managerial Review ##
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