Organizational Theory and Inquiry: The Paradigm Revolution

The transition from viewing organizations as bureaucracies towards seeing them in metaphoric terms is a contemporary break with past organizational theory. But to investigate the similarities between real organizations and the metaphors describing their functions and context, a shift in both methods of inquiry and organizational theory must take place. This volume explores the paradigm shift at three levels: an overview of historical roots; an explication of terminology, metaphors and constructs; and the practical application of these new organizational inquiry methods, especially for actual research practices and policy analysis applications.