Metaphor and Organizations

Cliff Oswick is Professor of Organization Theory at The Business School (formerly known as Cass), City, University of London (and previously served as Deputy Dean between 2011 and 2016).  Before joining Cass, he spent 4 years at Queen Mary, University of London as Dean of the Faculty of Law & Social Sciences.  His research interests focus on the study of organizing processes and non-traditional approaches to organizational change.  He has published over 150 academic articles and contributions to edited volumes. He is an Associate Editor for Journal of Change Management, a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, an Associate Editor for Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, an elected member of the National Training Laboratory, former chair of the board of trustees for the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations (2014-2020), and previously served as chair of the Organization Development and Change Division of the Academy of Management (2015-2020).  Cliff has also undertaken a variety of executive education and consultancy assignments for private and public sector organizations.

`This anthology presents some current ideas and controversies on the uses of metaphors in organizational studies and offers a valuable overview of the field. It is composed of eleven papers, framed by a lucid introduction and a concluding summary and suggestions for future research by the editors′ - Work, Employment and Society

• Introduction - David Grant and Cliff OswickGetting the Measure of MetaphorsPART ONE: METAPHORS OF ORGANIZATION: SCOPE AND APPLICATIONSome Consequences of Taking Gareth Morgan Seriously - Iain L ManghamMetaphor in the Development of Organization Theory - Geoffrey MacKechnie and Gemma Donnelly-CoxThe Triune-Brain Metaphor - Gerrit BroekstraThe Evolution of the Living OrganizationMetaphors in Organizational Research - Stewart R Clegg and John T GrayOf Embedded Embryos, Paradigms and Powerful PeoplePART TWO: METAPHORS OF ORGANIZING: LANGUAGE AND DISCOURSEMetaphors in Popular Management Discourse - Richard Dunford and Ian PalmerThe Case of Corporate RestructuringMetaphor in Organization Theory - Dawn E Inns and Philip J JonesFollowing in the Footsteps of the Poet?Metaphors and Metaphorization in Organizational Analysis - Robert ChiaThinking beyond the ThinkablePART THREE: METAPHORS IN ORGANIZATIONAL SETTINGS: IMPACT AND OUTCOMESMetaphors, Metaphoric Fields and Organizational Change - Robert J MarshakTelling Tales - Timothy Clark and Graeme SalamanManagement Consultancy as the Art of Story TellingIn the Image of Man - Erik D[o with a line thru]ovingOrganizational Action, Competence and LearningCan You Resist a Dream? Evangelical Metaphors and the Appropriation of Emotion - Heather H[um]opfl and Julie MaddrellPART FOUR: METAPHOR AND ORGANIZATIONS: ISSUES AND DIRECTIONSThe Organization of Metaphors and the Metaphors of Organization - Cliff Oswick and David GrantWhere Are We and Where Do We Go from Here?An Afterword - Gareth MorganIs There Anything More to Be Said about Metaphor?