Synchronous text communication is becoming recognized as a valuable workplace communication medium. Studies of group text chat have indicated that its properties can lead to interactional incoherence, yet others have shown it has been adopted in workplaces. We address this apparent contradiction through a detailed analytic examination of text chat transcripts, showing how participants manage their interactions, considering multiple threads, turn taking and topic change. We reveal the routine practices that participants employ to create and manage coherent interaction through this medium, which arise from the turn taking system in operation. This is extrapolated to consider the effects of the redesign of text chat systems on users
interactions.

