Session Summary

Session Number:211
Session ID:S328
Session Title:Ghosts of Academies Past, Present and Future: A Plurality of Perspectives on the Field of Organization Studies
Short Title:
Session Type:Division Joint Symposium
Hotel:Swiss
Floor:LL3
Room:Gball I
Time:Monday, August 09, 1999 9:00 AM - 10:20 AM

Sponsors

MH  (Eileen Kelly)kelly@ithaca.edu (607) 274-3291 
OMT  (Joseph Porac)j-porac@staff.uiuc.edu (217) 244-7969 

General People

Chair & Co-Organizer Frost, Peter J. U. of British Columbia frost@unixg.ubc.ca (604)822-8318 
Co-Organizer Zietsma, Charlene E. U. of British Columbia zietsma@interchange.ubc.ca (604) 822-5002 

Submissions

The Present Through the Eyes of the Past: A Play 
Players Lichtenstein, Benyamin M. U. of Hartford Benyamin@mail.hartford.edu (860) 768-4270 
Players Kahwajy, Jean L. Stanford U. jlk@leland.stanford.edu (650) 325-6288 
Players Rubin, Julia S. Harvard U. rubin@wjh.harvard.edu (617) 492-3858 
Playwright and Player Zietsma, Charlene E. U. of British Columbia zietsma@interchange.ubc.ca (604) 822-5002 
Looking Back, Looking Outside, Looking Forward 
Presenter Hardy, Cynthia  U. of Melbourne, Australia c.hardy@ecomfac.unimelb.edu.au 61-3-9344-5344 
The Delights of History, the Thrill of the Present, and Hopes for the Future: Looking at a New Millennium for the Field of Organizational Behavior: Observation, Reflections and Anticipation 
Presenter Murnighan, J. Keith Northwestern U. keithm@nwu.edu (847) 467-3566 
Remarks on "The Present Through the Eyes of the Past" 
Presenter Mirvis, Philip H.  pmirv@aol.com (301) 774-7377 

Abstract

In Dickens’ Christmas Carol, the messages Scrooge receives from the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future cause him to reassess his life. In this symposium, voices from the past, present and future comment on the field of organization studies as we approach the millennium. Mary Parker Follett, James Thompson, Philip Selznick and a doctoral student debate the ‘progress’ of organization studies in a play. These legends dissect our field’s methodologies, theoretical foci, and relevance to the practitioner. Coming themselves from diverse perspectives, they seldom agree. Together they track the developmental journey of our pluralistic field. Three panelists reflect on the play, and provide their own perspectives. Keith Murnighan overviews important theories in OB in the 1970s and exciting theoretical and methodological advances of today. Cynthia Hardy also overviews the field over 30 years, arguing that "The dilemma for the Academy…is that it cannot have a plurality of research approaches and a science of organizations." She discusses the emergence of 'contra' organizational literature which directly challenges normal science: interpretive, critical and postmodernism approaches. Philip Mirvis assesses the relationship of past to present, considering the impact our classic authors’ contributions have today. He contrasts feminization of the field to a tools/technology orientation, and asks what we know about form and function in an era of dissipative structures. He discusses the Academy’s own institutionalization. Peter Frost will summarize, draw conclusions and open the debate to the audience.