Disorganization,disidentification and ideological fragmentation: Verbal and pictorial evidence from a British business school |
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Authors: | David R Stiles |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Management, College of Business and Economics , University of Canterbury , Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand david.stiles@canterbury.ac.nz |
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Abstract: | Rather than focusing on organizing dimensions of society, one may conceptualize disorganization processes, where ideological values incongruence leads to disidentification and ideological fragmentation. Integrating discourse analysis and critical social psychology, I focus on professional organizations facing ideological, managerialist change to develop a typology of multiple‐identity organizations (MIOs) incorporating various degrees of disorganization, rather than the traditional ideographic–holographic dualism. I then apply a creative, visual method to explore how wider ideological tensions between managerial (utilitarian) and professional (normative) values shape lived experiences in a major British business school. Longitudinal verbal and pictorial discursive analysis shows a cacophony of images competing to construct and deconstruct organizational identity over a decade and a half. The organization tends towards disorganization, but somehow retains a sufficient sense of (multiple) identity to survive, suggesting it is myopic to ignore processes and structures that mark and contribute to the ideological fragmentation of MIOs. |
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Keywords: | disorganization disidentification ideology fragmented identity pictorial image multiple‐identity organizations |
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