The organizational structuring of novelty

Chia, R. and King, I. W. (1998) The organizational structuring of novelty. Organization, 5(4), pp. 461-478. (doi: 10.1177/135050849854002)

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Abstract

This paper sets out to examine the contributions of A.N. Whitehead and H. Bergson to our understanding of organization, not as a `thing' or social entity, but as the ongoing creative process of structuring and stabilizing social reality. The paper attempts to theorize the emergence, individuation and sustenance of natural and social phenomena from a truly processual perspective by articulating the underlying principles of the becoming, enduring and perishing of `event-clusters' in an almost inexorable creative advance towards ever more novel configurations of reality. We argue here that this process-inspired metaphysics is more adequate to the task of faithfully charting the intrinsically pre-carious and serendipitous nature of the creative evolution of social systems such as `individuals', `organizations' and `society'.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Chia, Professor Robert
Authors: Chia, R., and King, I. W.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
Journal Name:Organization
Publisher:SAGE Publications
ISSN:1350-5084
ISSN (Online):1461-7323

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