The Role of Deliberate Silence in Institutional Change

Abstract

In this article, I develop insights into deliberate silence as a facilitator of institutional change. I argue that deliberate silence constitutes a form of text that can influence dynamics of discourse positions and discourse content, thereby affecting relationships among relevant actors as well as institutional dynamics. This makes it a useful resource for change proponents located at the center of fields to inconspicuously shift voice toward more peripheral allies, facilitate the visibility of problematizations and novel theorizations, and mitigate the effect of defense strategies from central opponents of change. Starting from a basic discourse-based model of institutional change, I show how a systematic acknowledgment of deliberate silence facilitates a better understanding of discursive dynamics. Specifically, I synthesize four types of deliberate silence—activating, suppressing, affirming, and concealing—in institutional change processes, and model a set of communication strategies based on these types of silence that support change in various ways. These ideas contribute to existing literature by suggesting novel ways of understanding how actors navigate barriers to institutional change, and how interactions between different types of actors during institutional dynamics unfold.