Deconstructing the Theoretical Language of Process Research: Metaphor and Metonymy in Interaction

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In this chapter, we reflect on process perspectives on organizations from a meta-theoretical viewpoint and discuss the language that researchers use to conceptualize organizations as process. Our considerations are based on two main premises: First, in general, we believe language to be performative in the sense that it constitutes reality (cf. Austin, 1962; Searle, 1969); second, and more directly related to the focus of our inquiry, the ways researchers conceptually reason in terms of implicit assumptions is fundamentally shaped by the language they use (Cornelissen, 2005). More specifically, and in line with studies of science in action (e.g., ...
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSage Handbook of Process Organization Studies
EditorsAnn Langley, Hari Tsoukas
Number of pages9
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc.
Publication date2016
Pages607-615
Article number39
ISBN (print)9781446297018
ISBN (electronic)9781473957954
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016