Control and Resistance in a Storytelling Organisation: A Postmodern View

This dissertation examines the nature of acts of control and resistance in work organisations. Over time the notion of resistance had to be reconceptualised as control systems have become more elaborate and overt resistance is rarely found in contemporary organisation. There has been a recent focus...

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Main Author: Kubach, Caroline Johanna
Format: Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)
Language:English
Published: 2006
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/20541/
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author Kubach, Caroline Johanna
author_facet Kubach, Caroline Johanna
author_sort Kubach, Caroline Johanna
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description This dissertation examines the nature of acts of control and resistance in work organisations. Over time the notion of resistance had to be reconceptualised as control systems have become more elaborate and overt resistance is rarely found in contemporary organisation. There has been a recent focus on identity construction and discursive practices which are easily overlooked because of their mundane nature which may obscure the intentions behind resistant behaviour. This work takes a different approach by linking discursive forms of control and resistance with storytelling theory. Using a postmodern perspective, the deconstructive analysis of the stories which were collected in situ is influenced by poststructuralist notions which further shape the understanding of the findings. The research contribution this paper makes is twofold. First, it adds to conventional storytelling research by going beyond the notion of the controlling official story and the resistant local stories. Second, it opens up new possibilities for the understanding of control and resistance by treating them as self-contained opposites. This makes the concept of resistance even more complex as individuals may not only resist by undertaking routine practices, but also may not be aware of the resistant or controlling nature of their actions themselves. The piece concludes with reflections upon the implications and reflexive comments about the author's own story which pervades the entire work.
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spelling nottingham-205412018-03-16T00:05:21Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/20541/ Control and Resistance in a Storytelling Organisation: A Postmodern View Kubach, Caroline Johanna This dissertation examines the nature of acts of control and resistance in work organisations. Over time the notion of resistance had to be reconceptualised as control systems have become more elaborate and overt resistance is rarely found in contemporary organisation. There has been a recent focus on identity construction and discursive practices which are easily overlooked because of their mundane nature which may obscure the intentions behind resistant behaviour. This work takes a different approach by linking discursive forms of control and resistance with storytelling theory. Using a postmodern perspective, the deconstructive analysis of the stories which were collected in situ is influenced by poststructuralist notions which further shape the understanding of the findings. The research contribution this paper makes is twofold. First, it adds to conventional storytelling research by going beyond the notion of the controlling official story and the resistant local stories. Second, it opens up new possibilities for the understanding of control and resistance by treating them as self-contained opposites. This makes the concept of resistance even more complex as individuals may not only resist by undertaking routine practices, but also may not be aware of the resistant or controlling nature of their actions themselves. The piece concludes with reflections upon the implications and reflexive comments about the author's own story which pervades the entire work. 2006 Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/20541/1/06MAlixck6.pdf.pdf Kubach, Caroline Johanna (2006) Control and Resistance in a Storytelling Organisation: A Postmodern View. [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)] (Unpublished) control and resistance storytelling postmodernism
spellingShingle control and resistance
storytelling
postmodernism
Kubach, Caroline Johanna
Control and Resistance in a Storytelling Organisation: A Postmodern View
title Control and Resistance in a Storytelling Organisation: A Postmodern View
title_full Control and Resistance in a Storytelling Organisation: A Postmodern View
title_fullStr Control and Resistance in a Storytelling Organisation: A Postmodern View
title_full_unstemmed Control and Resistance in a Storytelling Organisation: A Postmodern View
title_short Control and Resistance in a Storytelling Organisation: A Postmodern View
title_sort control and resistance in a storytelling organisation: a postmodern view
topic control and resistance
storytelling
postmodernism
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/20541/