CHAPTER 6
COORDINATED MANAGEMENT OF MEANING
Outline
I. Introduction.
A. Barnett Pearce and Vernon Cronen regret the fact that most communication theorists
and practitioners hold to a transmission model of communication.
B. They’d say that seeing communication as a transmission of ideas looks through
communication rather than directly at it.
II. First Claim: Our communication creates our social worlds
A. Selves, relationships, organizations, communities, and cultures are the “stuff” that
make up our social worlds.
B. For CMM theorists, our social worlds are not something we find or discover. Instead,
we create them.
C. Barnett Pearce summed up this core concept of the theory by asserting that persons-
in-conversation co-construct their own social realities and are simultaneously
shaped by the worlds they create.
D. Using M.C. Escher’s lithograph, Bond of Union, the authors draw three parallels.
1. The experience of persons-in-conversation is the primary social process of human
life.
3. The endless ribbon in the Bond loops back to reform both persons-in–
conversation, demonstrating reflectivity.
E. As social constructionists, CMM researchers see themselves as curious participants
in a pluralistic world.
1. They are curious rather than certain.
3. They live in pluralist worlds rather than seek a singular Truth.
III. Second claim: The stories we tell differ from the stories we live
A. CMM uses the term story to refer to much of what we say when we talk with others
about our social worlds—ourselves, others, relationships, organizations, or the larger
community
B. CMM theorists distinguish between stories lived and stories told.
1. Stories told are tales we tell ourselves and others in order to make sense of the
world around us and our place in it.
3. The management of meaning involves the adjustment of our stories told to fit
the reality of stories lived—or vice versa.
5. Coordination takes place when we fit our stories lived into the stories lived by
others in a way that makes life better.
C. Stories told: Making and managing meaning.
1. The stories we tell or hear are never as simple as they seem.
2. LUUUUTT is an acronym to label the seven types of stories.
a. Lived stories
3. There is no correct story or correct interpretation of it. CMM theorists created the
LUUUUTT model to demonstrate the complexity of social situations.
D. Stories lived: Coordinating our patterns of interaction
2. Pearce and Cronen are particularly concerned with the patterns of
communication we create with others.
4. Logical force is the moral pressure or sense of obligation a person feels to
respond in a given way.
6. Coordination refers to the “process by which persons collaborate in an attempt to
7. Pearce used the phrase coordination without coherence to refer to people
cooperating, but for quite different reasons.
IV. Third Claim: We get what we make.
A. Since CMM claims we create our social worlds through our patterns of
communication, it follows that we get what we make.
B. Barnett Pearce urged that we ask three questions when we reflect on past
interactions: how did that get made? What are we making? What can we do to make
better social worlds?
V. Fourth Claim: Get the pattern right, create better social worlds
A. Barnett Pearce admitted he couldn’t be specific on what to do to make social worlds
better.
B. Barnett and Kim Pearce describe better social worlds as replete with caring,
compassion, love, and grace among its inhabitants—not the stated goal of most
communication theories.
C. The theorists claim is that one does not need to be a saint, a genius, or an orator to
VI. Ethical reflection: Martin Buber’s Dialogic Ethics.
A. Buber, a German Jewish philosopher, focused his ethical approach on the
relationship between people rather than on moral codes of conduct
B. He contrasted two types of relationships—I-It versus I-Thou.
1. I-It treats the other person as an object to be manipulated.
2. I-Thou treats our partner as the very one we are.
C. For Buber, dialogue is a synonym for ethical communication.
VII. Critique: Highly practical as it moves from confusion to clarity.
A. By offering such diagnostic tools as the serpentine and LUUUUTT models of
communication, CMM promotes a deeper understanding of people and of the social
worlds they create through their conversation.
B. Unlike many theories which seek only to describe communication patterns, CMM
theorists and the researchers they inspire make it clear that their aim is to make
better social worlds.
E. CMM scholars and practitioners use a wide range of qualitative research methods—
textual and narrative analyses, case studies, interviews, participant observation,
ethnography, and collaborative action research
F. The aesthetic standard for an interpretive theory has two components—artistry and
clarity. For some who have immersed themselves in CMM literature both Barnett
and Kim Pearce’s often poetic language reflects the beauty of the human soul and
the world as it could be. Yet for others, lack of clarity is a real problem.
Key Names and Terms
Barnett Pearce and Vernon Cronen
Communication scholars from the Fielding Institute and the University of
Massachusetts, respectively, who co-created the theory of coordinated management of
meaning.
Transmission model
Picturing communication as a transfer of meaning by a source sending a message
through a channel to a receiver.
Communication perspective
Bond of Union
A lithograph by M.C. Escher that illustrates several key concepts about persons-in–
conversation, particularly their interrelatedness.
Logical force
The moral pressure or sense of obligation a person feels to respond in a given way to
what someone else has just said or done—“I had no choice.”
Coordination
Mindfulness
The presence or awareness of what participants are making in the midst of their own
conversation.
Dialogic communication
absolutism.
Principal Changes
The concept of coherence is now tied to stories told. A new cartoon is used to illustrate
the LUUUUTT model, specifically the four types of stories abbreviated with the letter U, and a
Kick-off Questions & Interaction Starters
• How do you “play nice with the other kids in the sandbox” if you can’t agree on the
game being played?
• How is an action both a response to something in the past and a set-up for
something into the future?
• Do you have to know why someone “plays the game” (i.e. acts the way they do) in
order to play with them?
• When have you spoken with someone and just had the sense that you were
“speaking past each other”? What kinds of topics tend to create this feeling?
Suggestions for Discussion
A complex theory
I must emphasize from the outset that Pearce and Cronen’s material is exceedingly
difficult to summarize. This fact should come as no surprise; any theory borrowing heavily from
Ludwig Wittgenstein is bound to be challenging to present, whether one is succinct or verbose.
Because this is such complex material, you may need to go beyond the text to fill in some of
your students’ blanks.
Pearce and Cronen are not particularly consistent in their terms or in the way they state
their idea. One person’s poetry is another’s gibberish. The founders of CMM marshal a
postmodern philosophical writing style that is stimulating but not always systematic or linear.
Thus, one is often entertained and enlightened, but just as frequently perplexed, by their
As a reassurance to professors, my students usually have extreme views of CMM. It is
the bottom, low-point for some students. They throw up their hands in confusion and feel it
offers little to their understanding of communication. In almost like fashion, other students
raise their hands that it was the defining moment, which upon reflection, helped them
understand other theories and concepts. For these astute (perhaps, one might argue, more
cognitively complex students), CMM’s core assumptions about the way interactive
communication creates our social worlds is essential for all.
What to focus on when there’s a lot of moving parts: Achieving coherence with students
Over the course of a semester and when covering a variety of theories, you will likely
find some theories (like CMM) require a bit of focusing of the attention for your students.
Through the years, the treatment of CMM in A First Look has become more refined,
us. But, I don’t live in the world alone and so, despite having different meanings, I have to
figure out a way to live with others.
The second idea is also critically important; stories are incomplete. Besides
acknowledging the subjectivity of meaning, it is important to recognize the that narratives are
always partial. Even with all the best attempts at communication, it is more than likely that
there will be gaps—things we don’t tell, don’t know, or don’t acknowledge. But the U’s (from the
LUUUUTT model) get filled in (sometimes incorrectly) or get glossed over; either way, it changes
the way we construct our stories told. Staying with these two ideas (subjectivity and
incompleteness) may help students get a firm foundation to understand some of the more
complex ideas such as logical force or unwanted repetitive patterns.
ushers in a discussion of the LUUUUTT model and how important and meaning-filled elements
of any story may not be known. Without those facets, the story takes on a different meaning. I
try to keep the discussion focused on just these two elements: subjectivity and
incompleteness. Once that’s clear (and we have coherence), we can move forward.
CMM and Symbolic interactionism
Because both symbolic interactionism and CMM emphasize the ways in which
communication creates—rather than merely reflects—human realities, it is easy to confuse the
two theories. As Griffin presents it, though, symbolic interactionism is more concerned with
the ways in which communication creates identity and self-perception. This might be
considered the ontological function of communication. In contrast, Griffin’s portrayal of CMM
Real-life examples
Despite the inherent confusion and ambiguity that come with this chapter, CMM is
consistently provocative and revealing. Many principles will sink in and become increasingly
useful as the book unfolds. Several specific concepts may be solidified and enriched through
class discussion. For example, have students generate examples of common communicative
episodes from their own lives: the pre-class chat with a classmate, the plea for an extension
student pre-class chat is less hierarchical, though, the students are more likely to give it a
similar name. Such distinctions about status may reveal some important aspects of
coherence.
Coordination without coherence
The notion that coordination can be achieved without coherence can be productively
illustrated in class. Often, a good dialogue in class can be started by asking students to think
about a situation in which two people or groups of people can coordinate action without
holding the same meaning (coherence). For example, although it can be a precarious way to
pursue happiness, many marriage partners enter into and coexist in unions for rather different
students.
One of our favorite examples concerns religious services. People who join together to
perform rituals of faith may hold vastly different beliefs about the ultimate meaning of these
events, yet they gain strength through the common experience of worship. Thus, ten
Social injustice
It is important to note that injustice and oppression can be furthered by what appears
to be coordination. For example, the fact that many workers willingly toil under oppressive
working conditions does not justify the immoral labor practices administered by their bosses.
The joint action in which these workers and employers participate is hardly admirable. True
coordination is predicated on the belief that the mutual activity involved must uphold the worth
and dignity of all concerned. Furthermore, it should be emphasized that there are limits to
which persons-in-communication are able to co-construct social realities, particularly when
power imbalances persist. In Toni Morrison’s Beloved, schoolteacher—a harsh slave owner
who systematically dehumanizes the men and women he owns—interrogates his slave Sixo
Scenes from the film, 12 Years a Slave can also effectively demonstrate this point.
Despite outward submission, Solomon Northup (the main character) uses hidden texts to
maintain his independence despite his lack of power. Even as he plays the part of a
submissive slave, he does so in such a way that maintains his own meanings and purposes
Social action
If there is one idea I want students to take away from this chapter, it’s that Pearce and
Cronen are dedicated to helping people who disagree live in relative harmony and act in
concert. In a world burdened with mass deprivation, runaway technology, and diametrically
opposed fundamentalisms of every kind, it’s a crusade that deserves our attention and
support. It likely won’t take much prompting to get your student to generate examples of when
opposing groups need to find a way to work together, even if at a fundamental level they
cannot see eye to eye. How do we play nice with the other kids in the sandbox when we’re
playing different games and often by different rules? This seems particularly relevant in post-
2016 election America. I am struck with how much more important CMM seems every time I
If time permits in your class (or perhaps as an outside assignment), you might have
your students listen to NPR’s Friday feature “Weekly Political Roundup,” often with David
Brooks (The New York Times) and EJ Dionne (Washington Post/ Brookings Institute). Each
week, the contributors offer their take on various topics of interest while representing opposing
Sample Application Log
Kerry
I stumbled into a conversation taking place between three of my girlfriends and one of our
mutual guy friends, Marty. They were attempting to define the word “sexy” as a combination of
a person’s attractiveness and unattainability. Their speech acts were coherent because they
were shaped by the episode of defining a word over dinner. The relationship between them,
their self-identities, and their culture helped them to be talking about the same thing and
understanding each other. The relationship between them is close and open, and not strained
by any romantic interest. Each of the four has good self-esteem and receives assurance of
Exercises and Activities
Analyzing art
An interesting exercise to begin this section is to have students view various pieces of
art and together create an interpretation of the piece. Reproduce the image (many are
available on the internet) and ask students to discuss their impressions or understanding of
the piece. A good place to start is with a familiar piece (such as Monet’s Waterlilies, Van
Gogh’s Starry Night, or Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte). Then,
move to pieces that may be more controversial in their reading, such as Pollock’s One or
Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie-Woogie. Finally, end with a painting such as a Cubist piece by
Picasso (Guernica) or Braque (The Portuguese). Focus your discussion on how various
individuals can come together and co-create an interpretation, although they may have
Why did we get married?
A key concept to CMM is the idea of coordination versus coherence. While it would be
ideal if everyone could agree on meaning, it is rarely the case. Instead of aiming for the loftly
and perhaps unobtainable goal of coherence, Pearce and Cronen suggest that a coordination
of activity might be a more realistic ambition. Reasons for getting married or having children
can serve as good fodder for discussion. I give students an index card and ask them to write 3
reasons why you would [get married or have children]. As much as possible, I encourage them
to be honest, avoiding answers they think are politically correct or appropriate. Then, I shuffle
the card and, using a classroom document camera or projector, I draw two cards and we “see”
how well matched classmates would be. Sometimes, they seem to be on the same page
Esher’s Bond of Union
When Em Griffin taught this chapter, he put great emphasis on the reproduction of M.C.
Esher’s Bond of Union. He asked the students the following question: “If this image were all
you had to explain coordinated management of meaning, how would you do it?” And, in fact,
every major facet of the theory—as presented in the chapter—can be glossed via the image.
Persons-in-communication
In a metacommunicative manner, you might ask students, “What, as persons–in–
communication, are we creating in this class?” Since this chapter comes relatively early in the
semester, this question incites discussion that may be useful both in explicating the theory and
Reflexivity
The concept of reflexivity is new to many students, and a solid understanding will assist
them with later chapters as well. I use the analogy of playing a game or sport in turns, such as
soccer or croquet. Each person’s turn is really three things: it is a reaction to the turn that
came before it, an action for that particular turn, and finally, it sets up what the next turn will
look like. For a soccer team, each move (or action) is dependent on the last action of the other
team (thus, a reaction), while at the same time setting up the next series of moves (forecasted
action). In croquet, hitting another person’s ball on my turn may be in retaliation for being
previously knocked out and may make me a target for a future strike. The example works
Feature film and stage applications
The film Stranger Than Fiction tells the story of IRS agent Harold Crick (portrayed by Will
Ferrell). The twist of the story occurs when it is revealed that Harold’s life is the creation of
Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson) and that his actions are dictated by what she writes. He is not
simply a marionette, but instead seems to be co-creating his own reality. As he tries to figure
out how the story of his live is evolving, he is able to alter or adjust his reality. We think this
It’s likely that some of your students will be familiar with the Broadway production,
Hamilton. Throughout the show, the main characters clearly have a different understanding of
the events that unfold. You may ask students familiar with it to explain how the story is
interpreted by Alexander Hamilton (the immigrant hero trying to make his way), Aaron Burr
Further Resources
▪ Ronald Arnett paid tribute to Pearce’s life and scholarship in his article.
o Ronald C. Arnett, “Philosophy of Communication as Carrier of Meaning: Adieu to W.
Barnett Pearce,” Qualitative Research Reports In Communication, Vol. 14, 2013,
pp. 1-9.
▪ For additional scholarship on CMM, see:
o W. Barnett Pearce and Kimberly A. Pearce, “Extending the Theory of the Coordinated
Management of Meaning (CMM) Through a Community Dialogue Process,”
Communication Theory, Vol. 10, 2000, pp. 405-424.
o Eerika Hedman and Eleni Gesch-Karamanlidis, “Facilitating Conversations that
Matter Using Coordinated Management of Meaning Theory,” OD Practitioner, Vol.
47, 2015, pp. 41-46.
▪ For a cross-cultural, non-Western perspective, Jia argues for a less Western-centric view of
effective communication incorporating the principles of CMM.
▪ For interpersonal applications of CMM, Merolla and his coauthors have an excellent
discussion of forgiveness in light of CMM
o Andy J. Merolla, Shuangyue Zhang, Jennifer L. McCullough, and Shaojing Sun,”How
Do You Like Your Forgiveness? Communication Style Preferences and Effects,”
Communication Studies, Vol. 68, 2017, pp. 568-587.
▪ For an interesting combination of organizational communication practices, gender, and
CMM, Hudak’s exploration of toy marketing is an interesting take on the theory’s concepts.
o Kasey Clawson Hudak, “Deceiving or Disrupting the Pink Aisle? GoldieBlox,
▪ For an applied CMM analysis in group settings:
o Eerika Hedman and Eleni Gesch-Karamanlidis, “Facilitating Conversations that
▪ An entire issue of Human Systems (Vol. 15, 2004) is devoted to CMM. It’s available online
at
▪ CMM in the classroom:
o Darrin S. Murray, “Navigating Toward Andragogy: Coordination and Management of
Student–Professor Conversations,” Western Journal of Communication, Vol. 78,
2014, pp. 310-336.
Buber’s Dialogic Ethics
▪ Although Buber was not a communication scholar per se, his philosophy has been
extremely influential in communication circles. In his interpersonal communication
textbook, Bridges Not Walls, for example, John Stewart presents Buber as his foundation
for meaningful human communication. Julia T. Wood follows a similar strategy in Everyday