Rhetoric and action: when a literary drama tells the organization’s story

Abstract

Recognizes the link between rhetoric and organizational outcomes in organizational theory. Suggests that it is a link which could also be developed in organizational change management; and that selected literary texts could provide a valid learning resource for exploring the role of root metaphors in organizational culture and in management development. Literary artists filter “real life” through a personal, but sensitively attuned conduit; so their “findings” and “conclusions” provide a challenging alternative to the traditional case study. If, for example, literary texts suggest that root metaphors in organizational culture influence action, then it would follow that management initiative to change a root metaphor could lead to change in action outcomes.

Citation

Monin, N. and Monin, D.J. (1997), "Rhetoric and action: when a literary drama tells the organization’s story", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 47-60. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534819710159297