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Dr. Sarah Riforgiate
Merrill Hall - Room 242, Department of Communication, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA

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0 Conflict
0 Leadership
0 Emotions in organizations
0 Work and life intersections
0 Organizational and interpersonal communication

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Journal article
Published: 26 May 2021 in Sustainability
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Nonprofit organizations are a context where workers’ passion and commitment to their work may make it more difficult to negotiate between professional work and private life demands. Challenges in navigating work and life are important issues for individual sustainability and influence organizational sustainability in terms of retention and organizational commitment. As new employees join an organization, they are socialized into the rhythm and norms of the workplace; therefore, early employment provides an important juncture to study how new employees come to understand work-life expectations. This qualitative study considers 55 interviews with new employees (employed six months or less) at a nonprofit social welfare organization which was concerned with high employee turnover. Participants described how they came to the organization, how they learned the expected behaviors for their positions and messages received from organizational members (e.g., supervisors and coworkers) and social groups outside of the organization (e.g., family and friends) pertaining to managing work and life responsibilities. Findings highlight the importance of communication, extend organizational assimilation concepts, and offer practical implications to enhance sustainability for organizations and employees.

ACS Style

Sarah Riforgiate; Michael Kramer. The Nonprofit Assimilation Process and Work-Life Balance. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5993 .

AMA Style

Sarah Riforgiate, Michael Kramer. The Nonprofit Assimilation Process and Work-Life Balance. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (11):5993.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sarah Riforgiate; Michael Kramer. 2021. "The Nonprofit Assimilation Process and Work-Life Balance." Sustainability 13, no. 11: 5993.

Journal article
Published: 05 February 2019 in Communication Teacher
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ACS Style

Sarah E. Riforgiate. Puzzled by communication? Playing with puzzle pieces to promote teamwork and theory understanding. Communication Teacher 2019, 33, 281 -285.

AMA Style

Sarah E. Riforgiate. Puzzled by communication? Playing with puzzle pieces to promote teamwork and theory understanding. Communication Teacher. 2019; 33 (4):281-285.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sarah E. Riforgiate. 2019. "Puzzled by communication? Playing with puzzle pieces to promote teamwork and theory understanding." Communication Teacher 33, no. 4: 281-285.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2019 in Journal of Communication Pedagogy
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Organizational communication extends beyond communication that takes place in an organizational context to the ways communication is used to organize and facilitate activity. This article is designed to enhance organizational communication pedagogy practices by highlighting foundational concepts and content areas that should be included in undergraduate organizational communication courses. Additionally, four active learning assignments, including case studies, applied organizational communication theory papers, organizational audits, and media assignments, are described to enhance student engagement with class material and to assess student learning. Finally, the article includes common issues to help educators anticipate concerns and plan effective classroom strategies.

ACS Style

Sarah Sarah E. Riforgiate, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Ali Ali L. Gattoni, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Erika Erika L. Kirby, Creighton University. Organizing the Organizational Communication Course: Content and Pedagogical Recommendations. Journal of Communication Pedagogy 2019, 2, 7 -11.

AMA Style

Sarah Sarah E. Riforgiate, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Ali Ali L. Gattoni, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Erika Erika L. Kirby, Creighton University. Organizing the Organizational Communication Course: Content and Pedagogical Recommendations. Journal of Communication Pedagogy. 2019; 2 ():7-11.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sarah Sarah E. Riforgiate, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Ali Ali L. Gattoni, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Erika Erika L. Kirby, Creighton University. 2019. "Organizing the Organizational Communication Course: Content and Pedagogical Recommendations." Journal of Communication Pedagogy 2, no. : 7-11.

Original articles
Published: 21 April 2017 in Western Journal of Communication
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This paper examines an increasingly popular yet underexplored form of organizational employment: internships. Drawing on interviews with 40 interns, this study explores the communicative tensions they faced and how two different groups of interns, satisfied versus dissatisfied, reported their responses to these tensions. Data revealed three key tensions that distinguished the two groups: identity work based on being an inexperienced student worker versus a competent employee, a focus on present versus future, and a preference for close versus distant supervision. The article discusses the implications of using different approaches to manage these tensions on identity work.

ACS Style

DaJung (“DJ”) Woo; Linda L. Putnam; Sarah E. Riforgiate. Identity Work and Tensions in Organizational Internships: A Comparative Analysis. Western Journal of Communication 2017, 81, 1 -22.

AMA Style

DaJung (“DJ”) Woo, Linda L. Putnam, Sarah E. Riforgiate. Identity Work and Tensions in Organizational Internships: A Comparative Analysis. Western Journal of Communication. 2017; 81 (5):1-22.

Chicago/Turabian Style

DaJung (“DJ”) Woo; Linda L. Putnam; Sarah E. Riforgiate. 2017. "Identity Work and Tensions in Organizational Internships: A Comparative Analysis." Western Journal of Communication 81, no. 5: 1-22.

Articles
Published: 02 January 2016 in Journal of Family Communication
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We examine the portrayals of two good working mothers in popular work–family balance films—Melanie in One Fine Day (1996) and Kate in I Don’t Know How She Does It (2011). Using a critical standpoint, we build on communication work–family/life scholarship to extend theoretical understanding of underlying ideological notions of the good working mother. In particular, we analyze Melanie and Kate’s performances that reflect the underlying cultural ideologies of being an ideal worker, a true domestic woman, and an intensive mother. Further, we explicate how this juggling of identities portrays good working mothers as perpetually defensive. We go beyond the analysis of ideologies to lay out some of the consequences of the performance portrayals of the good working mother, in that she should (a) accept “punishments” from her children, (b) conceptualize fathers as secondary parents, (c) solve problems on her own, and (d) choose family over work.

ACS Style

Erika L. Kirby; Sarah Riforgiate; Isolde K. Anderson; Mary P. Lahman; Alison M. Lietzenmayer. Good Working Mothers as Jugglers: A Critical Look at Two Work–Family Balance Films. Journal of Family Communication 2016, 16, 76 -93.

AMA Style

Erika L. Kirby, Sarah Riforgiate, Isolde K. Anderson, Mary P. Lahman, Alison M. Lietzenmayer. Good Working Mothers as Jugglers: A Critical Look at Two Work–Family Balance Films. Journal of Family Communication. 2016; 16 (1):76-93.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Erika L. Kirby; Sarah Riforgiate; Isolde K. Anderson; Mary P. Lahman; Alison M. Lietzenmayer. 2016. "Good Working Mothers as Jugglers: A Critical Look at Two Work–Family Balance Films." Journal of Family Communication 16, no. 1: 76-93.

Journal article
Published: 02 October 2015 in Journal of Family Communication
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Women generally perform the majority of domestic labor despite changes in demographics and household income allocations, contributing to relational conflict and prompting the use of communication strategies to reallocate tasks. This study examines the strategies individuals use to reduce personal or increase partner domestic labor performance. Married individuals (N = 228) responded to a questionnaire assessing perception of hours spent on household tasks, global equity, relationship length, and equity-restoring and equity-resistance strategies specific to domestic labor. Data indicate that perception of time spent on household tasks is related to equity-restoring and equity-resistance strategies. Global assessment of relational underbenefitedness or overbenefitedness was not associated with equity-restoring and equity-resisting strategies when characterized as a continuous variable; however, significant results occurred when equity was characterized categorically, highlighting the importance of methodological choices in equity research. Marriage length was negatively associated in a curvilinear function with the use of equity-restoring and equity-resistance strategies.Citation: Riforgiate, S. E., & Boren, J. P. (2015). Communicating domestic labor task resistance and equity restoring strategies among married individuals. Journal of Family Communication, 15, 309-329. doi:10.1080/15267431.2015.107642

ACS Style

Sarah Riforgiate; Justin Boren. “I Just Can’t Clean the Bathroom as Well as You Can!”: Communicating Domestic Labor Task Equity-Resistance and Equity-Restoring Strategies Among Married Individuals. Journal of Family Communication 2015, 15, 309 -329.

AMA Style

Sarah Riforgiate, Justin Boren. “I Just Can’t Clean the Bathroom as Well as You Can!”: Communicating Domestic Labor Task Equity-Resistance and Equity-Restoring Strategies Among Married Individuals. Journal of Family Communication. 2015; 15 (4):309-329.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sarah Riforgiate; Justin Boren. 2015. "“I Just Can’t Clean the Bathroom as Well as You Can!”: Communicating Domestic Labor Task Equity-Resistance and Equity-Restoring Strategies Among Married Individuals." Journal of Family Communication 15, no. 4: 309-329.

Journal article
Published: 20 July 2013 in Management Communication Quarterly
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Despite recent scholarly contributions regarding policy communication, much remains to be known about policy communication processes. This article reports two studies that resulted in a survey instrument that measures policy communication in organizations. Study One included 197 full-time employees across occupations and industries. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in five factors of the Policy Communication Index: Meeting Discussions, Human Resources Communication, Coworker Interactions, Supervisor/Coworker Written Instructions, and Personal Expressions. Study Two included 245 full-time employees across job functions and industries. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a five-factor Policy Communication Index. Results are interpreted with structurating activity theory and implications are posed for future organizational communication research and practice.

ACS Style

Heather E. Canary; Sarah E. Riforgiate; Yvonne J. Montoya. The Policy Communication Index. Management Communication Quarterly 2013, 27, 471 -502.

AMA Style

Heather E. Canary, Sarah E. Riforgiate, Yvonne J. Montoya. The Policy Communication Index. Management Communication Quarterly. 2013; 27 (4):471-502.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Heather E. Canary; Sarah E. Riforgiate; Yvonne J. Montoya. 2013. "The Policy Communication Index." Management Communication Quarterly 27, no. 4: 471-502.

Original articles
Published: 19 January 2011 in Western Journal of Communication
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This study updates and extends current understandings of the organizational experiences likely to evoke positive emotions by examining 835 U.S. employees' responses of their best workplace experiences. Responses included 17 positive experiences (recognition, relationships, reward, autonomy, appreciation, success, supervisor/mentor, climate, opportunity, teamwork, resources, altruistic work, voice, social support, flexibility, challenge, and triumph) that typified five social discourses (power–empowerment, individualism–uniqueness, success–accomplishment, belonging–affiliation, and safety–security). Employee responses underscore the idea that the experiences at work evoking positive emotions are predominantly social (positive affective responses to others) and rooted in social, historical discourses or systems of meaning.

ACS Style

Pamela Lutgen-Sandvik; Sarah Riforgiate; Courtney Fletcher. Work as a Source of Positive Emotional Experiences and the Discourses Informing Positive Assessment. Western Journal of Communication 2011, 75, 2 -27.

AMA Style

Pamela Lutgen-Sandvik, Sarah Riforgiate, Courtney Fletcher. Work as a Source of Positive Emotional Experiences and the Discourses Informing Positive Assessment. Western Journal of Communication. 2011; 75 (1):2-27.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pamela Lutgen-Sandvik; Sarah Riforgiate; Courtney Fletcher. 2011. "Work as a Source of Positive Emotional Experiences and the Discourses Informing Positive Assessment." Western Journal of Communication 75, no. 1: 2-27.

Reply
Published: 13 January 2011 in Journal of Family Communication
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In this rejoinder, we respond to the following claims regarding our integrated theory of domestic labor found in the commentaries by Julia T. Wood and Robin Patric Clair (2011 Clair, R.C. 2011, this issue. Journal of Family Communication. The rhetoric of dust: Toward a rhetorical theory of the division of domestic labor, 11: 49–59. [Google Scholar], this issue): that we are establishing a ruler for the division of domestic; that our theory is biased toward the over-performer's rule or standard; that disagreements over domestic labor are primarily narrative constructions; and that our theory suggests a less than sanguine view of the potential for change in how men and women are socialized regarding the performance of domestic labor. In so doing, we argue that what Julia T. Wood describes as a “ruler” is not ours to create but rather is specific to each dyad and typically established by the partner with the lowest threshold level, be it a woman or a man. We also maintain that while a narrative approach provides a way to understand couples' interpretations of their experience, we believe a distinct value of our integrative theory is in helping to explain behavior and offer redress where such is needed. Finally, we argue that although our perspective regarding change may seem less than sanguine, that simply waiting for change to occur is of little benefit to those individuals and marriages/relationships suffering from lack of change in the here and now.

ACS Style

Jess K. Alberts; Sarah E. Riforgiate; Sarah Tracy; Angela Trethewey. One More Time With Feeling: A Rejoinder to Wood's and Clair's Commentaries. Journal of Family Communication 2011, 11, 60 -63.

AMA Style

Jess K. Alberts, Sarah E. Riforgiate, Sarah Tracy, Angela Trethewey. One More Time With Feeling: A Rejoinder to Wood's and Clair's Commentaries. Journal of Family Communication. 2011; 11 (1):60-63.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jess K. Alberts; Sarah E. Riforgiate; Sarah Tracy; Angela Trethewey. 2011. "One More Time With Feeling: A Rejoinder to Wood's and Clair's Commentaries." Journal of Family Communication 11, no. 1: 60-63.

Research reports
Published: 03 December 2008 in Communication Monographs
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Recent research on the communication of affection illuminates its implications for mental and physical health. In particular, affectionate communication has been shown to covary with healthy hormonal variation and accelerated recovery from stress. The present study focuses on the association between marital affection and hormonal markers of stress regulation, including cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), and their ratio. Twenty healthy adults and spouses provided independent reports of their propensity for verbal, nonverbal, and support-based expressions of affection prior to providing saliva samples that were assayed for cortisol and DHEA-S. As hypothesized, spouses’ reports of verbal, nonverbal, and supportive affection significantly predicted participants’ waking cortisol levels, cortisol change, and cortisol:DHEA-S ratio. Participants’ own reports of affection were predictive of cortisol:DHEA-S ratio for verbal affection behaviors only, and were not predictive of participants’ waking cortisol, cortisol change, or DHEA-S. In addition, spouses’ reports of verbal, nonverbal, and supportive affection predicted participants’ evening cortisol levels. Results illustrate that affectionate communication from one's spouse is related to hormonal stress regulation and suggest the possibility that interventions designed to increase affectionate behavior in romantic relationships may have stress-ameliorating physiological effects.

ACS Style

Kory Floyd; Sarah Riforgiate. Affectionate Communication Received from Spouses Predicts Stress Hormone Levels in Healthy Adults. Communication Monographs 2008, 75, 351 -368.

AMA Style

Kory Floyd, Sarah Riforgiate. Affectionate Communication Received from Spouses Predicts Stress Hormone Levels in Healthy Adults. Communication Monographs. 2008; 75 (4):351-368.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kory Floyd; Sarah Riforgiate. 2008. "Affectionate Communication Received from Spouses Predicts Stress Hormone Levels in Healthy Adults." Communication Monographs 75, no. 4: 351-368.