The Helix of Change: A Visual Metaphor
Ημερομηνία
2017Source
European Management ReviewVolume
14Issue
2Pages
143-163Google Scholar check
Metadata
Εμφάνιση πλήρους εγγραφήςΕπιτομή
Although discourse encompasses verbal as well as visual representations, the visual mode of meaning construction remains largely unaddressed in discussions of organizational change, despite recent calls for a ‘visual turn’ in organization studies. To this end, our study adds a visual meaning-making perspective to the literature on organizational change through an empirical, longitudinal study of a Boston-based start-up that radically altered the music industry. By employing a bottom-up view of organizing, we document change as it happens ‘on the ground’ and propose a new visual metaphor for understanding change – a helix. This visual metaphor adds a helpful image to the current literature of change as process, which is often bound by static, noun-oriented language. It also has the potential to effectively depict the stability-change paradox in a way that moves us beyond either/or ways of thinking, talking and planning. © 2016 European Academy of Management