Knowledge and Interests in Organization Studies: A Conflict of Interpretations
- 1 April 1989
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Organization Studies
- Vol. 10 (2) , 225-239
- https://doi.org/10.1177/017084068901000206
Abstract
Why are there conflicting views of the interests which motivate the study of organizations? We contend that the sources of conflict are four interpretive bases: knowledge is viewed as an instrument or as a discourse, and knowledge is constructed on the basis of trust or suspicion. The interplay of interpretive bases produces competing models of organization studies: Social Innovation, Critique, Language Game of Truth and Hermenuetics. In turn, the four models inspire six debates on the nature of interests which incite the study of organizations.Keywords
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