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Into the Labyrinth: Tales of Organizational Nomadism
Jagiellonian University, Poland ; University of Leeds, UK. (LEO)ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5303-5544
University of Sheffield, UK.
2015 (English)In: Organization Studies, ISSN 0170-8406, E-ISSN 1741-3044, Vol. 36, no 1, p. 55-71Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Labyrinths and mazes have constituted significant spaces for tales of transformation, from prehistoric designs through the myth of the Minotaur and the pilgrimage design in Chartres cathedral to contemporary novels and pictorial representations. Labyrinths and labyrinthine designs can also commonly be found in present day organizations. This text, based on an ethnographic study as well as on an analysis of academic discourse, explores their significance as a symbol and as a physical structure. Drawing upon the notion of transitional space, it presents labyrinths as an indelible part of human experience, an archetype, and a sensemaking tool for understanding and explaining organizational complexity. The unavoidable presence of labyrinthine structures is presented as a counterpoise to the reductionist tendency towards simplification, streamlining and staying on-message, allowing or demanding space for reflection, doubt, and uncertainty.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2015. Vol. 36, no 1, p. 55-71
Keywords [en]
archetype, labyrinth, identity, organizational space, symbolism
National Category
Economics and Business
Research subject
Economy
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-48526DOI: 10.1177/0170840614546154OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-48526DiVA, id: diva2:889569
Available from: 2015-12-27 Created: 2015-12-27 Last updated: 2017-12-01Bibliographically approved

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Kostera, Monika

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