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There is one ontological 'given' that constitutes all organizations. Their history. 
(Clegg et al., 2020)

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My research sits at the intersections of time, memory, institutions, and design-thinking. Essentially, I am interested in understanding the underlying communication processes of how organizational employees make sense of their past, present, and future through their experience of time and usage of memories. 

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When an organization understands how it draws on its past as a source of knowledge, it increases their ability to transform who they are into who they aspire to be. I am passionate about identifying these sources of knowledge and leveraging them to design interventions that support the longevity and sustainability of organizations. ​

 

While majority of my research investigates the relationship between time and memory within organizations, I am also intrigued in how these constructs both shape and are shaped by broader social systems and structures. For example, to what extent does our perception of a museum's role influences the way it operates and presents information? Or, how do the ways universities organize time and preserve knowledge shape society's understanding of learning and the value of expertise?

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Projects &
Publications

Current Projects

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  • Tesfai, Y. (2026). "Shaping Tomorrow with Yesterday: The Temporal Structuring of Organizational Memory" (working dissertation title)
     

  • Ballard, D.I., Mandhana, D.M., Tesfai, Y. (in-press). Groups, Teams, and Decision-Making. In Nicotera, A.M. (Ed.), Origins and Traditions of Organizational Communication: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Field. Routledge.
     

  • Tesfai, Y. and Feal, O., (in-press). "Out of Sync: Time, Structure, and  Collaboration in Museum Work," In Beaulieu, R. (Ed.), Transforming Museum Workplace Culture, American Alliance of Museums (AAM)/Bloomsbury Press. 

Past Publications

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  • Ballard, D.I., Mandhana, D.M., Tesfai, Y., Jacome, C.S., Johnson, S.B., Gionfriddo, M.R., Suarez, M.R.E, Perth, S.A., Su, L., & Montori, V.M. (2024). Unhurried conversations in healthcare are more important than ever: Identifying key communication practices for careful and kind care. The Annals of Family Medicine, 22(6), 533-538.  (Recipient of the David Meyer’s Research Award from the Primary Care Collaborative)
     

  • Mandhana, D.M., Jacome, C.S., Ballard, D.I., Tesfai, Y., Johnson, S.B., Gionfriddo, M.R., Suarez, M.R.E, Perth, S.A., Su, L., & Montori, V.M. (2024). Developing and validating the unhurried conversations assessment tool (UCAT). Patient Education and Counseling, 108237.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2024.108237
     

  • Scott, C.R., Xu, Y., & Tesfai, Y. (2024). Types of Organizations. In Miller, V.D. & Poole, M.S. (Eds.),Organizational Communication Theory and Research. DeGruyter.
     

  • Tesfai, Y. (2020). We the people: Towards a self-recognizing museum. Viewfinder, 11. National Art Education Association - Museum Education Division Online Journal. (Link)
     

  • Tesfai, Y. (2017). Alicia Link: Puppets and altars review. In MFA 2017 Exhibition Catalogue. UT Austin’s Visual Art Center.                                   

Academic Conferences
& Public Presentations

National Communication Association (NCA) Convention

  • “Do You Remember the Time? A Chronemic Lens on Organizational Memory” Presenter, Organizational Communication Division, New Orleans, LA (2024)
     

  • “The Call is Coming from Inside the House (and the Outside too): The Wicked Problem and Museum Social Movements” Presenter, Critical and Cultural Studies Division, National Harbor, MD (2023)
     

  • “Hail, The Dark Lioness: Confronting Zanele Muholi’s ‘Black Diaspora’ Identity” Presenter, Visual Communication Division, National Harbor, MD (2023)
     

  • “Advances in Organizational Communication and Technology Research: AI, Social Media, Distributed Collaboration, and Beyond” Co-Presenter, Human Communication and Technology Division, New Orleans, LA (2022)

 

International Communication Association (ICA) Conference

  • “Timelining: Enhancing Qualitative Inquiry In Communication Studies” Co-Presenter, Organizational Communication Division, Denver, CO (2025)

 

Eleanor Greenhill Symposium

  • “The Wrong Historical Correction: Maxine Helfman” Presenter, Austin, TX (2017)

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Georgia Undergraduate Art History Forum

  • “Johannes Vermeer: Music, Courtship, and the Art of Painting” Presenter, Macon, GA (2014)

 

Invited Public Presentations

  • “Coffee Chat with Kendyll Gross,” Big Medium, Austin, TX (2021)

 

  • “Museum Labels” Invited virtual workshop presenter, Mead Art Museum, Amherst, MA (2021) 

Let's have a conversation:
ytesfai (at) utexas.edu

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