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A Tale of Three Discourses: The Dominant, the Strategic and the Marginalized

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  • Loizos Heracleous

Abstract

abstract This study drew from a structurational view of discourse and employed a discourse analysis approach based on rhetoric and hermeneutics to analyse the organizational discourses operating in the UK operations of a global human resources consulting firm, People Associates. The aims were firstly to understand in what sense we can speak of ‘modes of discourse’ in organizational settings; secondly to explore the potential existence and nature of interrelations among different modes of discourse; and thirdly to explore the constructive potential of modes of discourse on their social and organizational contexts. The results suggest that modes of discourse can usefully be seen as rhetorical enthymemes constituted of relatively stable, normative structures and flexible, action‐oriented structures; that modes of discourse can interrelate through their deeper structural features, and can have mutually co‐optive or antagonistic relationships; and lastly that the constructive potential of discourse is based primarily on its deeper structures, and on the consonance of surface communicative actions with these structures. This research thus sheds light on fundamental definitional and substantive issues in organizational discourse; in particular offering a novel conceptualization of the nature of discourse, a further understanding of discursive interrelations, and finally one way to understand its constructive effects on social organizations.

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  • Loizos Heracleous, 2006. "A Tale of Three Discourses: The Dominant, the Strategic and the Marginalized," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(5), pages 1059-1087, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:43:y:2006:i:5:p:1059-1087
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00629.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Virpi Sorsa & Eero Vaara, 2020. "How Can Pluralistic Organizations Proceed with Strategic Change? A Processual Account of Rhetorical Contestation, Convergence, and Partial Agreement in a Nordic City Organization," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(4), pages 839-864, July.
    2. John Sillince & Paula Jarzabkowski & Duncan Shaw, 2012. "Shaping Strategic Action Through the Rhetorical Construction and Exploitation of Ambiguity," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(3), pages 630-650, June.
    3. Mitchell, Penelope Fay, 2009. "A discourse analysis on how service providers in non-medical primary health and social care services understand their roles in mental health care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(7), pages 1213-1220, April.
    4. Shirley Leitch & Ian Palmer, 2010. "Analysing Texts in Context: Current Practices and New Protocols for Critical Discourse Analysis in Organization Studies," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(6), pages 1194-1212, September.
    5. Kirsti Iivonen & Johanna Moisander, 2015. "Rhetorical Construction of Narcissistic CSR Orientation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(3), pages 649-664, October.
    6. Winston Kwon & Ian Clarke & Ruth Wodak, 2014. "Micro-Level Discursive Strategies for Constructing Shared Views around Strategic Issues in Team Meetings," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(2), pages 265-290, March.
    7. André Spicer & Graham Sewell, 2010. "From National Service to Global Player: Transforming the Organizational Logic of a Public Broadcaster," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(6), pages 913-943, September.
    8. Eero Vaara & Andrea Whittle, 2022. "Common Sense, New Sense or Non‐Sense? A Critical Discursive Perspective on Power in Collective Sensemaking," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(3), pages 755-781, May.
    9. Amrita Joshi, 2018. "Logo dynamics for investment branding: a visual–semiotic analysis of the reframing devices in the Make in India logo," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 14(3), pages 163-174, August.
    10. Julia Balogun & Claus Jacobs & Paula Jarzabkowski & Saku Mantere & Eero Vaara, 2014. "Placing Strategy Discourse in Context: Sociomateriality, Sensemaking, and Power," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(2), pages 175-201, March.
    11. Lilie Chouliaraki & Norman Fairclough, 2010. "Critical Discourse Analysis in Organizational Studies: Towards an Integrationist Methodology," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(6), pages 1213-1218, September.
    12. Kate Robinson & Bernard McKenna & David Rooney, 2022. "The Relationship of Risk to Rules, Values, Virtues, and Moral Complexity: What We can Learn from the Moral Struggles of Military Leaders," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 179(3), pages 749-766, September.

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