A good place to start in management styles is the register analysis of text, this is essentially discovering the ‘what, how and to whom’ of text. Register analysis is the combination of the field (subject matter), the mode (method of communication) and the tenor (style of writing) (Thornbury, 2005). However, you have to be careful not to confuse this with genre analysis, as many authors seem to use these terms interchangeably! Genre is the repeated use of certain registers; this means that all related texts (such as a specific newspaper) will have identical registers (Swales, 1990).
I find it relatively easy to assign the register of a text; however, I think the more important aspect of register is actually the areas within the text that are influenced by the three previous choices. For example, the mode of a newspaper ensures smaller sentences are used due to the column widths, whilst the colloquial tenor required in a teenage magazine results in the use of slang!
When asked to analyse a text the tools above can be supplemented by the use of readability statistics, which are computerised evaluations of text to establish how easy, or difficult, the text is to read (Stephens, 2000).
N.B. You can retrieve the readability statistics for a text in Microsoft Word by opening the ‘Tools’ menu and under ‘Options’ selecting ‘Spelling and Grammar’ and checking the ‘Show readability statistics’ box.
Alternatively you can do this online using the following link: http://www.addedbytes.com/readability/
In Microsoft Word the following information will be retrieved after completing a spelling test:
The statistic that is used most often is supposedly the Flesch Reading Ease (Stephens, 2000), as it easily shows the category that a text fits into (shown below with the calculations):
Source: RFP Templates. (2009). Flesch Reading Ease Readability Score [online]. Available from: http://rfptemplates.technologyevaluation.com/Readability-Scores/Flesch-Reading-Ease-Readability-Score.html, (accessed 12th January 2009)
Although these readability statistics help to gather an initial idea of the complexity of a text I would not use these alone to analyse a text. A computer cannot take into account the complexity of a subject or the language used; therefore, I would use them to supplement my own reference analysis.
Example
I will now compare two different texts that I have recently written:
Text 1 – a cover letter for a job application
“ Dear Sir/Madam
Re: Application for Graduate Management Programme
I recently visited the (company x) stand at the NEC (Birmingham), after talking to your staff members and investigating the company I would like to apply for the Graduate Management Programme.
As a final year student, who will graduate in International Business and Management in July 2009, I aspire to enter a challenging career where I will have real responsibility and progression in the job, both of which would be attainable by joining (company x). I believe that I can offer the enthusiasm, organisational skills and dedication that this role requires. The opportunity to work directly with customers initially attracted me to this position, as I have key experience in this field from completing an industrial placement last year. "
Text 2 – an email to friends
“ Hi girlies!
How is everyone? Just to let u know im back home on 20th – starting to get all excited bout hols know yeay! Hope we’re gonna sort something soon miss you all – wot bout this sat? We can go out for dinner or just round one of our houses, depends what everyone thinks. Let me know, looking foward to seeing you soon! Xx "
Comparison
The table above shows that, as expected, the informal document (Text 2) is rated as more readable (i.e. less complex) than the formal covering letter (Text 1). The register of each piece directly affected my use (or not) of grammar and the type of language employed, which had a subsequent effect on the readability. However, I would ask you to consider would the email have been as easy to understand for a pensioner, considering the slang and ‘text-talk’ used by the younger generation? Or would a teenager find it easier to read the covering letter, in light of the more formal subject and complex language that has been adopted? I think you have to say no in both cases and therefore, although these analysis tools can be a good way to compare texts, I still believe that readability certainly depends on the reader context as well. So when writing a text it is vital that you consider your target audience and, if appropriate, adapt the register as necessary.
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