Support for the so-called "process movement" in composition theory, which purports to
offer a radically new writing pedagogy, recently has begun to appear in the business
communication literature. But before business communication instructors wholeheartedly
embrace the tenets of the movement, they should be aware that the process approach to
writing suffers from several methodological defects, appears to be based on a number of
mistakes about the nature of language and mind, and may lead to contentless courses full
of solipsistic students. Examined critically, process ideas seem to have only limited usefulness
in business communication;
the process movement itself is more an ideology than an endeavor
based on dispassionate, rational scholarly inquiry.
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