Fra modsætninger til integration

Emil Laurberg Mogensen, Flemming Smedegaard

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearch

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Abstract

The field of organizational culture is primarily dominated by two perspectives, functionalism and symbolism. The two perspectives differ in theory and practice, and the perspectives as well as the methods associated with each perspective are often understood and applied by applicants as contra-dictory ways of analyzing and understanding organizational culture. In this article, we argue that this contradictory viewpoint does not match a situational and dialectical mindset in that it underestimates the nuanced complexity of organizational culture, and alternatively, we propose a dynamic theory on organizational culture, and in extension thereof, a method that seeks to integrate the functionalistic and symbolistic perspectives.
The article is divided into four parts. In part one, we discuss the existing dominant literature and propose our argument for a new method, Situational Dialectical Cultural Analysis. In part two, we present the theory in Situational Dialectical Cultural Analysis and various analytical tools. In part three, we discuss when and how the method can be applied in practice and provide examples thereof. In part four, we present our assessment of strengths and weaknesses of the method.
Our main point is that instead of focusing on either the collective or individual opinion formations, we must integrate the two perspectives and investigate them both simultaneously, as both are equally and reciprocally present in practice. In return, and because each perspective has something to con-tribute with, the integrated analysis will result in a more situational and dialectical – and useful – cultural analysis.
Original languageDanish
Article number81
JournalDet Ny Merino
Issue number81
Number of pages40
ISSN2445-6764
Publication statusPublished - 22. Mar 2023

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