Philosophy And Organization Theory

Philosophy And Organization Theory

INTRODUCTION

Contemporary organization theory is a field characterized both by a plurality of views and perspectives (e.g., Walsh, Meyer, & Schoonhoven, 2006) on one hand, and by paradigmatic underdevelopment and fragmentation (Pfeffer, 1993) on the other. Explanations for this assessment range from the presumed clash of rival narrative traditions (Reed, 1997) to the claim that science, as a master narrative offering superior knowledge, has ‘‘run out of steam’’ (Burrell, 1997, p. 657).

Chapter

In this chapter, we present a critical assessment of this state of affairs and propose a methodological naturalistic framework that supports the ongoing growth of knowledge in organization theory, naturalistic coherentism. In particular, we argue that analytic philosophy, as one of the major tools used for theorizing about organizations, has had a fundamental influence on the development of organization theory up to the present. Analytic philosophy is usually described as a school of thought being concerned with logical or linguistic conceptual analysis (see Preston, 2006).

Organization Theory

Part of the reason for the current intellectual diversity in organization theory, we argue, can be found in a fundamental methodological fissure in analytic philosophy itself: the distinction between descriptive and revisionary methods. Another contributing factor is the appropriateness of these tools for two different foci of organizational analysis: the holistic level and the individual level. Roughly speaking, descriptive methods emphasize the role of meaning in ordinary discourse. The principal focus of descriptive analysis in organization theory, for example, is how agents use everyday language in organizational contexts, often by invoking Wittgensteinian language games. In contrast, revisionary approaches, concerned about the complexity and ambiguity of ordinari language use, aim for greater clarity by recasting ordinary language in formal systems, such as scientific theories.

Copyright r 2011 Emerald Group Publishing Limited 

Reprints and permission service 

Contact: booksandseries@emeraldinsight.com 

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data 

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library 

ISBN: 978-0-85724-595-3 

ISSN: 0733-558X (Series)

Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK
First edition 2011

DOWNLOAD

Baca Juga