Discourse, Interpretation, Organization

A systematic exploration of the emerging field of organizational discourse.

Loizos Heracleous (Author)

9780521181426, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 25 November 2010

218 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.2 cm, 0.3 kg

Review of the hardback: '… a well-conceived, practically orientated, clearly expressed and focused piece of writing. … avoids formulaic rules; offers useful references for follow-up reading; and provides a unified view of the field, integrating and relating diverse concepts in creative ways. … Throughout the text, readers remain aware of the breadth, depth and complexity of the intellectual territory it explores.' Business Communication Quarterly

This much-needed systematic exploration of the emerging field of organizational discourse addresses scholarly perspectives and empirical applications of the concepts. The interpretive, functional, critical, and structurational perspectives are examined in detail. Issues discussed include the constructive potential of discourse; prominent interpretive approaches; the role of discourse, in particular metaphor, in fostering certain organizational outcomes; a critical view addressing the power and political dimensions of discourse; and the dual aspects of discourse as both communicative actions and deep structures, interrelated through the modality of interpretive schemes. Application chapters illustrate how discourse theory can be employed in field research, aiding the analyst in gaining a deeper understanding of the social context and of the effects of discourse on that context. In particular, a view of discourse as situated symbolic action, and a structurational view of discourse are illustrated empirically, using examples from a major IT organization and a global consulting firm.

Figures
Tables
Preface
1. Images of discourse: interpretive, functional, critical, and structurational
2. Interpretive approaches to organizational discourse
3. Functional approaches: metaphor in organization change and development
4. Critical approaches: Michel Foucault's conceptions of discourse
5. A structurational approach to discourse
6. Analyzing discourse I: discourse as situated symbolic action
7. Analyzing discourse II: a tale of three discourses
Index.

Subject Areas: Organizational theory & behaviour [KJU], Business & management [KJ], Sociology & anthropology [JH]