Organization Theory

Call for Papers for the 5th OT Workshop Join us from January 28-30, 2025, at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, for an unparalleled opportunity to refine your organization and management research into impactful theoretical papers. The workshop will offer detailed coaching and hands-on feedback sessions on participants’ papers as well as plenary sessions by members of the Organization Theory editorial team on key aspects of developing and writing theory (e.g., developing a theory contribution, construct clarity, genres of theory writing). **Abstract Submission Deadline: November 15, 2024** For detailed information and to submit your abstract, visit [www.ot-workshop.com](http://www.ot-workshop.com). Local Organizers Roman Gibel | University of Zurich Andreas Georg Scherer | University of Zurich David Seidl | University of Zurich Katja Rost | University of Zurich Convenors Markus A. Höllerer, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Organization Theory Sigrid Quack, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Organization Theory Joep Cornelissen, Consulting Editor of Organization Theory Don't miss the chance to elevate your work and contribute to the future of organizational theory!

 🕵 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 📜 The Management History Division - Academy of Management is happy to spotlight Pilvikki Lantela (University of Lapland)’s work, published in Organization Theory: "𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘖𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴". This inspiring article showcases how history - especially when viewed through a microhistorical lens - can profoundly reshape how we understand organizations and management thought. 🔍 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠? Microhistory focuses on the small, the particular, and the often overlooked. It examines specific events, individuals, or places to reveal hidden complexities, challenge dominant narratives, and emphasize the richness of context. In this research, Lantela used a feminist microhistorical lens to delve into marginalized voices and explore how their stories disrupt traditional assumptions about organizational life and theory. 🕰️ 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲? ➡️ 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦: Microhistorical theorizing brings previously marginalized perspectives to the forefront, showing how historical voices - often dismissed or silenced - can challenge and refine existing theories. ➡️ 𝘉𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴: This historical approach highlights the importance of context and situates knowledge production in specific settings, steering away from grand, one-size-fits-all theories. 📖 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡? Lantela’s microhistorical approach illuminated the fragmented and nonlinear nature of history, showing how organizational theories emerge from specific cultural, temporal, and political contexts. By examining particular instancesthrough a feminist perspective, the research provides fresh insights into how organizational life is shaped by hidden power dynamics and marginalized experiences. This method exposed cracks in the traditional canon and offered a richer, more inclusive understanding of organizational history and theory. 💡 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲: This research illustrates that history is not just a backdrop - it’s a critical force in shaping how we understand organizations today. Microhistorical theorizing gives us the tools to think differently, ask better questions, and uncover the unseen connections between the past and the present. 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞: https://lnkd.in/et7Q4t36

We conclude this year's #AdventCalendarOT with "Democratizing Social Scientists’ Words and Distinctions: Where and Why Moral Reasons Are Decisive" by 𝗚𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗔𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗱. 🔗https://lnkd.in/ez5FtJQ7 #OpenAccess #ImpactfulTheory #DiverseTheory #BetterTheory 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 Sitting at your desk, working on your social science paper, you take yourself to be free to use key words and distinctions as you see fit. I argue that these decisions aren’t up to you. Instead, they should be made collectively, by the social science community you’re embedded in, talking to, and contributing to, along with its stakeholders. Such democratic and deliberative processes will be driven by the common good, as opposed to benefiting particular social scientists, schools, research programs, methods, or regions of the world. My book, Words and Distinctions for the Common Good, is an invitation: I invite social science communities to democratically work on how to use their key words and distinctions—and which epistemic and moral goods these uses should help attain. #Methods #Concepts #Theory #Epistemology #Morality #LogicOfSocialResearch #MerelyVerbalDisputes #Disagreement #DeliberativeDemocracy

Our 2024 #AdventCalendarOT continues with "Generative AI, Emerging Technology, and Organizing: Towards a theory of progressive encapsulation" by 𝗣𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗮 𝗛𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 and 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴 𝘃𝗼𝗻 𝗞𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗵. 🔗https://lnkd.in/eZTp5dzt #OpenAccess #ImpactfulTheory #DiverseTheory #BetterTheory 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 Generative AI is upon us and is changing organizations and organizing. In this essay, we extend the relational perspective on technology, which argues for moving away from an entity-based view of technology to one that focuses instead on the evolving relations and functions between people, technologies, and organizations. We do so by introducing the concept of “progressive encapsulation” which captures GenAI’s potential ability to increasingly expand the “black box” and reduce visibility into and control over the relations and functions performed. We argue that progressive encapsulation is critical in our theorizing about GenAI. As an illustration and thought experiment we consider how GenAI and progressive encapsulation may necessitate changes in our theorizing about groups and teams in organizations. #AIinOrganizations #AIinTeams #InformationSystems #RelationalPerspective #TeamWork #Teams #Technology

🎉 Happy New Year! As we step into 2025, it’s time to remind you of the two important calls for the EGOS Colloquium 2025! 1. The deadline for submitting your short paper is fast approaching. We encourage you to share your insights and contributions with the community. Full details and submission information can be found here: https://lnkd.in/g4MTBeEN 2. We invite all PhD candidates and Post-Doctoral researchers to participate in our Pre-Colloquium Workshops. Link: https://lnkd.in/dgNMyEcy 📅 Deadline for both calls: January 7, 2025 Wishing everyone a good start to the year! #PhDWorkshop2025 #PostDocWorkshop #EGOS2025 #CallForPapers

Next in our #AdventCalendarOT: "What Theory Is, What Theory Was: Whence and Whither Theory" by 𝗥𝗼𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗱𝗱𝗮𝗯𝘆. 🔗https://lnkd.in/e9CTG7RW #OpenAccess #ImpactfulTheory #DiverseTheory #BetterTheory 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 This essay offers a critique of Gabriel Abend’s call for more action and less abstraction in social theory. The critique questions Abend’s insistence on pragmatic presentism—research that can be used tomorrow—and his implicit rejection of our time-honored commitment to construct clarity and rigor in theory. Abend’s insistent focus on the present ignores a long history of pragmatism in both social and management theory that has served our profession well. More importantly, his argument misinterprets pragmatism as a rejection of theory when, in fact, pragmatism suggests precisely the opposite. #ConstructClarity #Pluralism #Pragmatism #SyncreticTheory #Theory

Today in our (slightly extended) #AdventCalendarOT: "Disagreeing to Agree: Problem-Solving and Knowledge Production" by 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗮𝗱. 🔗https://lnkd.in/eeAbFshj #OpenAccess #ImpactfulTheory #DiverseTheory #BetterTheory 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 Gabriel Abend identifies too much disagreement as an obstruction to the pursuit of knowledge. This paper introduces problem-solving sociology as a method of knowledge production that can avoid this difficulty. I outline the communal, pragmatist tenets of problem-solving research and its promise of developing genuine knowledge for society. #AcademicResearch #ProblemSolvingSociology #SocialProblems #Sociology #Theory

Continuing on with our #AdventCalendarOT: "Navigating Both/And and Either/Or Approaches in Response to Paradoxical Demands: A meta-both/and approach" by 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰 𝗞𝗿𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘇𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 and 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗱 𝗧𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗻. 🔗https://lnkd.in/eq5Yt8p2 #OpenAccess #ImpactfulTheory #DiverseTheory #BetterTheory 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 Paradox scholars increasingly argue that organizations should not only adopt both/and approaches to manage paradoxes but also consider either/or approaches as valid alternatives. However, previous research indicates that both/and and either/or approaches are based on contradictory beliefs and organizational structures, making it difficult to leverage them effectively. By integrating the concepts of the decision paradox and reflective episodes into paradox theory, we propose a process model for navigating paradox through a “meta-both/and” approach. Our model explains how both/and and either/or approaches can be regarded as serious alternatives, systematically integrated into an organization, and applied to address paradoxical demands. We advance the understanding of the paradoxical relationship between both/and and either/or approaches and the structures that facilitate their effective application in managing paradoxes. #BothAndApproaches #DecisionParadox #MetaBothAndApproaches #ParadoxicalDemands #ParadoxTheory

Next in our #AdventCalendarOT: "Blinded by the Light: A critique on the universality, normativity, and hegemony of paradox theory and research" by 𝗜𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗻. 🔗https://lnkd.in/eZNi44hz #OpenAccess #ImpactfulTheory #DiverseTheory #BetterTheory 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 This paper intervenes in paradox theory and research by problematizing the taken-for-granted premises that currently dominate the field. Building on the “growing pains” of paradox theory, the paper offers three provocations for current paradox theory and research: it questions the conceptual universality of paradox, reveals the implicit normativity of some of its key assumptions, and problematizes the hegemony of the conception of both/and as core to responses to paradox. Deliberately stepping beyond the established guardrails of paradox theory, the paper critically assesses these premises and reflects on their potential risks and blind spots. Building on these three provocations, the paper offers in turn a set of distinct pathways for theoretical development, including interpreting presupposed features of paradox in light of ontological positions, integrating normative approaches into paradox management, and introducing much greater granularity to the study of paradox responses. #CriticalIntervention #EmancipatoryTheorizing #ParadoxTheory

Today in our #AdventCalendarOT: "Between Humans and Machines: The social construction of the generative AI category" by 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝗱𝗮𝗹, 𝗝𝗮𝗲𝗸𝘆𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮, 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗵 (𝗟𝗶𝘇) 𝗛𝗼𝗼𝗱 and 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗵 𝗥𝗮𝗷𝘂𝗻𝗼𝘃. 🔗https://lnkd.in/eHnt8u2N #OpenAccess #ImpactfulTheory #DiverseTheory #BetterTheory 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 ChatGPT’s debut in 2022 heralded the entry of generative AI into mainstream public attention. The radical technology could do what no machine had done before: mimic humans’ complex linguistic abilities. The ghost had entered the machine. In their essay, Phillips, Kalvapalle and Kennedy (2024) argue that one of the important aspects of generative AI is that it participates in the social construction of categories. Many other technologies also participate in the social construction of categories, yet this process often goes unnoticed. Why? We argue that the degree to which technologies are perceived to participate in the social construction process depends on three elements: the degree to which we anthropomorphize the technology, whether its affordances allow for easy interaction, and the vested interests of powerful stakeholders. We agree that humans and machines co-construct categories, but we argue that this process is itself socially constructed through an iterative process among participating stakeholders. #DiscourseTheory #Metaphor #Narratives #Rhetoric #InformationSystems #Innovation #InstitutionalTheory #SocialConstructionism #Technology