A Golden Braid: Allport, Goffman, Weick

Abstract

One of the central tenets of Karl Weick’s work and one of his original contributions to organization theory is his insistence that organizational scholars should study structures of events rather than people, objects, or pseudo-objects, important as they all are. Through the operation of sensemaking, events may be portrayed as meaningful actions or random occurrences, but it is the connections among them that are central to organizing. This paper connects Karl Weick’s work to that of Floyd H. Allport and Erving Goffman, two among several writers who inspired Weick. These three authors shared an interest in what Allport called structuring, Goffman called ordering, and Weick called organizing of the events and experiences of everyday life. This genealogical presentation of their work attempts to situate their thoughts within contemporary debates in social sciences, including those determined by the spirit of the times.