Disorganization Management: What Is It, How Does It Work, and Why Does It Matter?

“Disorganization” also referred to as “mess,” “deviation,” or “disorder” is a concept that is embedded in the view of organizations as complex human systems. The word denotes organizational phenomena that deviate from organizational schema and procedures in an unplanned and unstructured manner. This concept is yet to be given full attention by management scholars, despite its continuous appearance, partially under different labels, throughout the history of the discipline for over five decades. Currently, there is a need for contributions that synthesize these scattered conversations into a coherent narrative. In addressing this gap, this article integrates these various strands of literature on disorganization. Thus, we systematically gather, review, organize, and integrate the extant literature (n = 192) on disorganization to map its evolution. Accordingly, we lay out a foundational body of literature that highlights the importance of enhancing our understanding of management through the integration of disorganization into our conversations about modern business. Accordingly, we present the theoretical infrastructure for the definition, analysis, and treatment of disorganization management. Through this review, we propose new conceptualizations while mapping out the development of the concept over time, followed by exploring the implications these developments present to both management theory and practice.