The CommUnity Lab - Connecting Professional Communication Research, Practice & People

Welcome to The CommUnity Lab! The knowledge transfer podcast, where we dive deep into the fascinating world of professional communication research and its application. Hosted by Danny (Daniel Wolfgruber), this podcast brings together leading scholars to explore how communication shapes workplaces, relationships, and society at large.

Today’s guest is Tomi Laapotti from the University of Vaasa, Finland. In this Lab Talk, we explore the role of artificial intelligence in organizational communication and everyday work practices. Together, we unpack what artificial intelligence actually is, how Generative AI and Large Language Models differ from other forms of AI, and why algorithms are not just tools but active participants in organizing. Drawing on recent research, Tomi discusses ripple effects of human–AI interaction in the workplace, the risks and biases hidden in AI “black boxes,” and what all this means for communication professionals and leaders alike. A timely conversation for anyone navigating work, organizing, and communication in general, in an increasingly algorithmic world.

Want to explore more? Here are five scientific publications related to today’s episode:
Alaimo, C., & Kallinikos, J. (2021). Organizations decentered: Data objects, technology and knowledge. Organization Science, 33(1), 19-37. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1552
Einola, K., & Khoreva, V. (2022). Best friend or broken tool? Exploring the co-existence of humans and artificial intelligence in the workplace ecosystem. Human Resource Management, 62(1), 117-135. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22147.
Hicks, M. T., Humphries, J., & Slater, J. (2024). ChatGPT is bullshit. Ethics and Information Technology 26, 38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-024-09775-5.
Laapotti, T. & Raappana, M. (2022). Algorithms and organizing. Human Communication Research, 48(3), 491–515. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqac013
Pelevina, N.-M., Sihvonen, T., Rousi, R., Laapotti, T., & Mikkola, H. (2025). Finlandised electobots and the distortion of collective political memory. Memory, Mind & Media, 4, e26. https://doi.org/10.1017/mem.2025.10022

Follow The CommUnity Lab on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, subscribe on YouTube, and join the conversation on LinkedIn. You can also send us an email to [email protected]. Your feedback and suggestions help shape this podcast into a must-listen for all communication enthusiasts.

Let’s decode the way we (try to) connect, one conversation at a time!

Welcome to The CommUnity Lab! The knowledge transfer podcast, where we dive deep into the fascinating world of professional communication research and its application. Hosted by Danny (Daniel Wolfgruber), this podcast brings together leading scholars to explore how communication shapes workplaces, relationships, and society at large.

Today’s guest is Prof. Nancy Bell from Washington State University. In this Lab Talk, we dive into the fascinating world of humor, especially the moments when a joke doesn’t land. Together, we explore how and why humor fails in everyday interactions at work, in the classroom, and at home. Drawing on linguistic research, Nancy explains the roles of humor competence and humor performance, and why context and framing are crucial when you decide to crack a joke. A must-listen for anyone who wants to understand what makes humor work… and what makes it fall flat.

Want to explore more? Here are five scientific publications related to today’s episode:
Bell, N. (2015). We are not amused: Failed humor in interaction. De Gruyter. https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781501501586/html
Gironzetti, E. (2022). The multimodal performance of conversational humor. John Benjamins. https://benjamins.com/catalog/ftl.13
Haugh, M. (2016). “Just kidding”: Teasing and claims to non-serious intent. Journal of Pragmatics, 95, 120-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2015.12.004
Haugh, M., & Márquez Reiter, R. (2025). (Un)intended offence: Speaker meaning and discursive scales in the negotiation of offensive humour. Pragmatics & Cognition, 32(1), 8-38. https://doi.org/10.1075/pc.24019.hau
Schnurr, S., Azikin, N., & Omar, M. (2021). Leadership and humour at work: Using interactional sociolinguistics to explore the role of gender. In J. Angouri & J. Baxter (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Language, Gender, and Sexuality. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315514857-16/leadership-humour-work-stephanie-schnurr-azikin-mohd-omar

Follow The CommUnity Lab on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, subscribe on YouTube, and join the conversation on LinkedIn. You can also send us an email to [email protected]. Your feedback and suggestions help shape this podcast into a must-listen for all communication enthusiasts.

Let’s decode the way we (try to) connect, one conversation at a time!

After four months of silence, The CommUnity Lab is back!
In this short bonus track, host Danny shares why the summer break lasted a little longer than planned, and what exciting conversations are coming up in the next Lab Talks, already in the making.

Follow The CommUnity Lab on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts, and join the conversation on LinkedIn. You can also reach us at [email protected]. Your feedback helps shape this show into a must-listen for everyone passionate about communication.

Let’s decode how we (try to) connect — one conversation at a time!

Welcome to The CommUnity Lab! The knowledge transfer podcast, where we dive deep into the fascinating world of professional communication research and its application. Hosted by Danny (Daniel Wolfgruber), this podcast brings together leading scholars to explore how communication shapes workplaces, relationships, and society at large.

In each episode, we break down communication research and real-world insights, making them accessible and relevant for communication professionals, leaders, fellow scholars, students, and anyone curious about the magic of communication.

Today’s guest is Prof. Boris H.J.M. Brummans from the Université de Montréal. In this Lab Talk, we explore the concept of mindful organizing and discuss how ethnographic methods can help both researchers and practitioners better understand and improve organizational life. Boris shares insights from his own journey — including a life-altering experience in the Himalayas — and explains how Buddhist principles like interdependence and impermanence shape his thinking about communication, organizations, and society. Whether you're an academic, a practitioner, or simply curious, this episode offers a grounded and thought-provoking take on how mindfulness and method can come together.

Want to explore more? Here are five scientific publications related to today’s episode:
Brummans, B. H. J. M. (2007). Death by document: Tracing the agency of a text. Qualitative Inquiry, 13(5), 711–727. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800407301185
Brummans, B. H. J. M. (2012). The road to Rizong: Buddhist mindful organizing amid natural disaster in the Indian Himalayas. Qualitative Communication Research, 1(4), 433–460. https://doi.org/10.1525/qcr.2012.1.4.433
Brummans, B. H. J. M. (2022). Eight ways to notice mindfully in process organization studies. In B. Simpson & L. Revsbæk (Eds.), Doing process research in organizations: Noticing differently (pp. 173–194). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192849632.003.0009
Town, S., Reina, C. S., Brummans, B. H. J. M., & Pirson, M. (2024). Humanistic organizing: The transformative force of mindful organizational communication. Academy of Management Review, 49(4), 824–847. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2021.0433
Varela, F. J., Thompson, E., & Rosch, E. (1991). The embodied mind: Cognitive science and human experience. MIT Press.

Follow The CommUnity Lab on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Podcastle, subscribe on YouTube, and join the conversation on LinkedIn. Your feedback helps shape this podcast into a must-listen for all communication enthusiasts.

Let’s decode the way we (try to) connect, one conversation at a time!

Welcome to The CommUnity Lab! The knowledge transfer podcast, where we dive deep into the fascinating world of professional communication research and its application. Hosted by Danny (Daniel Wolfgruber), this podcast brings together leading scholars to explore how communication shapes workplaces, relationships, and society at large.

In each episode, we break down communication research and real-world insights, making them accessible and relevant for communication professionals, leaders, fellow scholars, students, and anyone curious about the magic of communication.

Today’s guest is Prof. Sora Kim from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In this Lab Talk, we dive into her research on crisis and CSR communication and explore why a crisis can also be an opportunity — if handled thoughtfully. Sora shares why credibility, culture, and stakeholder engagement are essential for reputation management in tough times, and how CSR messaging can either strengthen or severely damage an organization’s standing when the pressure is on.

Want to explore more? Here are five scientific publications related to today’s episode:
Jaques, T. (2009). Issue and crisis management: Quicksand in the definitional landscape. Public Relations Review, 35(3), 280–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2009.03.003

Ji. Y., & Kim, S. (2023). The impacts of social media bandwagon cues on public demand for regulatory intervention during corporate crises. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 31(3), 392-405. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12446

Kim, S., Sheng, X., & Ketron, S.C. (2022). The roles of legacy versus social media information seeking in American and Chinese consumers’ hoarding during COVID-19. Journal of International Marketing, 30(2), 38-55. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069031X221089347

Kim, S., Sung, K-H., Ji, Y., Xing, C., & Qu, J. (2021). Online firestorms in social media: Comparative research between China Weibo and USA Twitter. Public Relations Review, 47(1), 102010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2021.102010

Yang, C.Y., & Kim, S. (2024). Safety nudged or empowerment fueled? Leadership mechanism and boundary condition for followers’ adaptive communication behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in China. Journal of Public Relations Research, 37(1-2), 31-53. https://doi.org/10.1080/1062726X.2024.2369643

Follow The CommUnity Lab on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Podcastle, subscribe on YouTube, and join the conversation on LinkedIn. Your feedback helps shape this podcast into a must-listen for all communication enthusiasts.

Let’s decode the way we (try to) connect, one conversation at a time!