
Contents
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1 From the Design of Structures to the Designing of Organizations: Past Trends and Future Directions
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Introduction Introduction
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Design as the First Tradition Design as the First Tradition
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Design-as-Meaning Design-as-Meaning
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Social Constructionism at the Roots of Design-as-Meaning Social Constructionism at the Roots of Design-as-Meaning
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Design(-as-Meaning) Applied to Organization Design Design(-as-Meaning) Applied to Organization Design
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Buchanan’s Orders as a Move towards Design as Multidimensional Meanings Buchanan’s Orders as a Move towards Design as Multidimensional Meanings
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Boland’s Notion of Design Punctuation and the Role of Meaning in Managerial Action Boland’s Notion of Design Punctuation and the Role of Meaning in Managerial Action
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Giacomin’s Hierarchy of Human-Centred Design Highlighting Meanings as Shapers of the Entire Organizational System Giacomin’s Hierarchy of Human-Centred Design Highlighting Meanings as Shapers of the Entire Organizational System
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Design-as-Practice Design-as-Practice
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Activity Theory Laying Down the Linkages between Practice and Meaning Activity Theory Laying Down the Linkages between Practice and Meaning
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A Caveat from Practice Theory A Caveat from Practice Theory
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Davidson’s Theory of Meaning as the basis of the organization’s institutionalized knowledge system Davidson’s Theory of Meaning as the basis of the organization’s institutionalized knowledge system
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Adapting Davidson’s Triangular Theory to Organizational Meaning-Making Adapting Davidson’s Triangular Theory to Organizational Meaning-Making
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(1) Managerially Generated Intended Meanings (Objective Meanings) (1) Managerially Generated Intended Meanings (Objective Meanings)
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(2) Organizationally Generated Emergent Meanings (Subjective Meanings) (2) Organizationally Generated Emergent Meanings (Subjective Meanings)
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(3) Beneficiaries Generated Perceived Meanings (Intersubjective Meanings) (3) Beneficiaries Generated Perceived Meanings (Intersubjective Meanings)
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Conclusion Conclusion
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2 A Design-Driven Epistemology for Organization Design: Design-as-Meaning and Design-as-Practice
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Published:October 2020
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Abstract
It is argued that the epistemological foundations of organization design can be built on a dual theoretical base: design-as-practice and design-as-meaning. The first is founded upon practice as part of current sociological theory applied to organizations (Schatzki, 2001; Nicolini, 2012) and the second is based on design theory (Krippendorff, 2006). If designing is defined as ‘to create meaning’ and if the symbolic action of managers plays a central role in the social construction of organizational reality, then meaning becomes a central concern for organization designing. On the other hand, while asserting that practice provides an ontological foundation for the artefacts which constitute the organization’s design, practice theory does not contain the mechanisms of intentionality and direction required by managerial action. The chapter ends with a broad interpretation of Davidson’s (2001) three types of knowledge—subjective, objective, and intersubjective—in terms of three broad groups of meanings found in organizations: managerially generated intended meanings, organizationally generated emergent meanings, and stakeholder generated perceived meanings.
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