Organization as Reply: Henri Bergson and Casual Organization Theory

Abstract

This paper introduces a symposium of three other papers on the work of Henri Bergson, which develop his idea of creative evolution and argue for the continuing relevance and vitality of Bergson's work for contemporary organization studies. Bergson's corpus is reviewed, along with some suggestions as to his relevance for contemporary organization theory. It is argued that Bergson's work would view organization as part of its object, a process that is changed by that engagement in non-dialectical conversation with it. Organizing, then, is a reply to the object, an act that creates its own possibility. Calculative and formalistic organization theory fails to take into account the importance of intuition as a form of knowing, responsive to the shifting nature of both its object and itself over time, which a casual organization theory, on Bergsonian lines, would do. However, there is no Bergsonian system or programme to be offered here-merely an introduction to some of the rich veins of ideas in his work, and an invitation to engage with them-an invitation, which, like all invitations, invites reply.