Antonio Strati – författare

Organizational life is pervaded by aesthetics, yet conventional organizational analysis has been dominated by a `scientific', logico-rational tradition that ignores the aesthetic dimension.

The book highlights the role of emotion in organizations, the importance of symbol, the subjective influence of culture and the processes of learning and cognition. These phenomena are related to the aesthetic rather than to purify rational, demanding new modes of inquiry that allow us richer insight into the dynamics of organizational life.

Organization and Aesthetics provides a powerful new lens through which the daily, ever-chaning complexity of organizations can be better understood by students, researchers and mangers.

In this introduction to theory and method, students of organization will find a comprehensive view of the key theories in their field, combined with a toolkit of guidelines linking these to the different methods available for analyzing and interpreting organizational life.

Distinguishing `the external society' and the `internal society', Antonio Strati sheds light on the different contexts that shape organizational life and the different levels of analysis that may be used. By showing the many levels at which organizations function and can be understood this book provides an invaluable introduction to analysis and research for advanced students. Recent concepts such as `the organization as hypertext'; `communities of practice'; 'tacit knowledge'; and organizational learning; are explored as ways of approaching organizations: this book shows how to link such approaches to appropriate methodologies in order to achieve insightful analysis.

In this introduction to theory and method, students of organization will find a comprehensive view of the key theories in their field, combined with a toolkit of guidelines linking these to the different methods available for analyzing and interpreting organizational life.

Distinguishing `the external society' and the `internal society', Antonio Strati sheds light on the different contexts that shape organizational life and the different levels of analysis that may be used. By showing the many levels at which organizations function and can be understood this book provides an invaluable introduction to analysis and research for advanced students. Recent concepts such as `the organization as hypertext'; `communities of practice'; 'tacit knowledge'; and organizational learning; are explored as ways of approaching organizations: this book shows how to link such approaches to appropriate methodologies in order to achieve insightful analysis.

Diverse philosophies constitute the theoretical ground of the study of the aesthetic side of organization. In fact, there is not a single unique philosophy behind the organizational research of the aesthetic dimension of organizational life. Organizational Theory and Aesthetic Philosophies will illustrate and discuss this complex phenomenon, and it will be dedicated to highlight the philosophical basis of the study of aesthetics, art and design in organization.

The book distinguishes three principal "philosophical sensibilities" amongst these philosophies: aesthetic, hermeneutic and performative philosophical sensibility. Each of them is described and critically assessed through the work of philosophers, art theorists, sociologists and social scientists who represent its main protagonists. In this way, the reader will be conducted through the variety of philosophies that constitute a reference for aesthetics and design in organization.

The architecture of the book is articulated in two parts in order to provide student and scholars in philosophical aesthetics, in art, in design and in organization studies with an informative and agile instrument for academic research and study.