777734

Professor Renate Meyer,Vienna University of Economics and Business
Professor Mary Ann Glynn, Boston College
Professor Fabian Muniesa, École des Mines de Paris
Professor Peter Karnøe, Aalborg University
Professor Signe Vikkelsø, Copenhagen Business School
Professor Jesper Strandgaard, Copenhagen Business School

The PhD student is required to present a five-pages (maximum) written presentation in which s/he relates some parts of the curriculum literature in the course to his or her project. We prefer empirically based projects. The presentation must include specific references to the literature applied. The student presentation should provide material for discussion in minor groups during the course, and the student must be willing to participate in discussions of other presentations. Deadline for uploading the paper is 9 April 2015.

It is a precondition for receiving the course diploma that the PhD student attends the whole course.
 

The course focuses on the theoretical tensional field of actor-network theory, new-institutional theory, and the theory of symbolic interactionism (sensemaking theory) with a view to the nature and dynamics of organizing processes. The purpose is to enable the PhD scholar to clarify and formulate his/her own theoretical position and to relate it productively to concrete issues of organizing.

A dialogue between Actor-Network-Theory (ANT), New-Institutional-Theory (NIT), and Symbolic Interactionism (SI).

Actor-Network-Theory has emerged as a new school within science & technology studies, sociology and organization theory. Drawing on post-structuralism and pragmatism it has developed unique material-semiotic approach which has stimulated a range of novel empirical studies as well as a number of theoretical debates with contemporary social science.

New-Institutional Organizational Theory challenges the functionalist explanations of organizational behavior by pointing toward the growing significance of the role of meaning in the production and reproduction of social practice in organizational studies. But New Institutional theory has been subject to both internal and external criticism of having, among other things, replaced the invisible hand of the market with the invisible hand of culture. The criticism has led to various attempts to introduce the role of institutional actors in New Institutional theory.

Symbolic Interactionism and Organizational Sensemaking Theory focuses on inherent complexity and ambiguity of real-world organizations and their environments and understands the creation of reality as an ongoing accomplishment that takes form when people make sense of situations retrospectively – and as such they enact their world.

The three theories have their own distinctiveness but by bringing them together in one course we hope producing productive synergy between them. This happens by asking each theory to deal with three key theoretical problem issues:

Power/control
Macro/micro
Stability/change
 

Lectures with workshops, dialogues and student discussions.

4 May
Course start up
•    Introduction to course idea
•    Short presentation of participants
Jesper Strandgaard Pedersen, Peter Karnøe and Signe  Vikkelsø

The three theoretical figures: ‘fundamental’ ideas:
•    Symbolic interactionism
Mary Ann Glynn

•    Institutional Theory
Renate Meyer

•    Actor Network Theory
Fabian Muniesa

5 May
Symbolic interactionism: focus on power/control, macro/micro, and stability/change
Mary Ann Glynn

Groups make three questions to SI

Plenary discussion

New Institutional Theory:
focus on power/control, macro/micro, and stability/change
Renate Meyer

Groups make three questions to NIT

Plenary discussion

Social evening

6 May
Actor-network theory:
focus on power/control, macro/micro, and stability/change
Fabian Muniesa

Groups make three questions to ANT

Plenary discussion

Discussion of PhD-projects
Different  tracks
45 min. pr project

Social evening

7 May
Discussion of PhD - projects
Different tracks
(45 min per project)

Analysing and writing at the intersection of SI, NIT and ANT
Different groups

Plenary: presentations from the groups and discussions

Evaluation
 
 

The participants get insights into the theoretical tensional field of actor-network theory, new-institutional theory, and the theory of symbolic interactionism (sensemaking theory) with a view to the nature and dynamics of organizing processes. The participants also get insights how to use the theory on empirical work, especially in their own Projects.

N/A

Katja Høeg Tingleff kht.research@cbs.dk

Tel.: +45 38 15 28 39