Anne M. Nicotera

Professor

Organizational communication, organizational structure, intractable conflict, health communication, nursing communication, communicative/interactive constitution of organization, race and gender, diversity, and culture and organizations

Anne Maydan Nicotera (PhD, Ohio University) is a Professor in the Department of Communication at George Mason University, where she teaches courses in organizational and interpersonal communication. Her research is grounded in a constitutive perspective and focuses on management/leadership communication, culture and conflict, diversity, race and gender, and aggressive communication, with a particular interest in postcolonial approaches and healthcare organizations. She has published her research in numerous national journals. She has also published eight books and numerous chapters. She has developed a theory and associated measurement tool for a construct called structurational divergence, which describes the intractable organizational conflicts that can result from the simultaneous application of multiple meanings in intra- and inter-professional interactions. She is currently pursuing the application of structurational divergence models to address postcolonialism and anti-racism. She is also active as a consultant, designing and delivering organizational communication-based management and leadership training, with a special interest in serving professionals in the developing world.

Dr. Nicotera is the conference planning chair for the DC Health Communication (DCHC Biennial Conference Series), in partnership with the Kentucky Conference on Health Communication.

Current Research

The application of structurational divergence theory to postcolonial analysis and practices for anti-racism.

Selected Publications

Nicotera, A.M. (Ed.) (2025). Origins, traditions, and trends of organizational communication: A comprehensive introduction to the field, 2nd Edition. Routledge.

Nicotera, A.M. (2025). Applying structurational divergence theory to socio-political conflict. In S.A. Samoilenko & S. Simmons (Eds.), Handbook of political and social conflict. Wiley.

Nicotera, A.M., Villagran, M.V., & Kim, W. (2021). Hospitals: Managing in a unique communication context. In F. Cooren & P. Stücheli-Herlach (Eds,), Handbook of Management Communication. de Gruyter-Mouton.

Nicotera, A.M. (2021). Nursing and conflict communication: A review. Journal of Nursing Communication. http://repository.usfca.edu/nursingcommunication/

Malterud, A.S., & Nicotera, A.M. (2020). Expanding structurational divergence theory by exploring the escalation of incompatible structures to conflict cycles in nursing. Management Communication Quarterly, 34(3), 384-401.

Nicotera, A.M., (2018). Agency in Structurational Divergence and Convergence. In B.H.J.M. Brummans (Ed.), The agency of organizing. Routledge.

Courses Taught

COMM 200 Introduction to Communication
COMM 301 Foundations of Interpersonal Communication
COMM 335 Organizational Communication
COMM 401 Interpersonal Communication in the Workplace
COMM 600 Introduction to Graduate Studies
COMM 634 Theories of Interpersonal Communication
COMM 635 Foundations of Organizational Communication

Education

PhD, Ohio University

MA, The University at Albany

BA, Utica College of Syracuse University (now Utica University)

Dissertations Supervised

Lane M. Schwager, Maybe I Wasn’t So Crazy After All: Affirmation Through Workplace Television For Women. A Grounded Theory Expansion Of CCO And Institutional Positioning (2023)

Xavier D. Clark, We Are the Luxury, Not Your Products: A Critical Structurational Analysis of Black Consumer Experiences in Contemporary/Luxury Retail Stores (2023)

Katherine E. Hyatt Hawkins , The Influence of Message Framing, Health Identity, and Regulatory Focus on Obesity-Related Health Behavior Intentions (2019)

Kristen L. Willett, A Wife or a Patient: Fibromyalgia Patients’ Communication Behaviors Regarding Social Support and Coping (2015)