The Helix of Change: A Visual Metaphor

Abstract

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