Author:
Weatherbee Terrance,Durepos Gabrielle
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to problematize the dominant narrative forms of disciplinary histories of management thought. Specifically, the authors explore the narrative mode of emplotment used in Wren’s (and later Wren and Bedeian’s) 50-year encyclical on the history of management thought, namely, The Evolution of Management Thought (EMT).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors propose that management histories operate as powerful narratives that shape our understanding of management thought and, consequently, our disciplinary futures. This paper explores the textual narrative of EMT. Additional data are drawn from other scholars’ observations of this text. This paper is positioned in the debates of management history.
Findings
While acknowledging the wealth of historical facts in EMT, the authors argue that the umbrella narrative orders events of the past in such a manner that the historical knowledge follows a form of Darwinian evolutionism. Thus, the narrative leads to problematic representations suffering from progressivism, presentism and universalism.
Research limitations/implications
Disciplinary scholars in management and organization studies need to carefully reflect on how we construct our representations of the past and histories. This will allow us to better craft transparent and reflexive histories.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to propose a remedy, albeit a partial remedy, which we believe is needed to avoid adverse epistemological consequences associated with the use of problematic narratives in management and organizational histories.
Subject
History,General Business, Management and Accounting
Reference118 articles.
1. Becoming an outstanding management historian in the USA: biographical research of Wren’s and Bedeian's pathways;Journal of Management History,2009
2. Towards a critical historiography: recent work in philosophy of history;Philosophy,1981
3. Organizational archives and historical narratives: Practicing reflexivity in (re) constructing the past from memories and silences;Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal,2018
4. Management history thought;Academy of Management Review,1976
Cited by
1 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献