Images of Organization

Book Preface

It is with real pleasure that I write this Preface to the latest edition of Images of Organization.
Since the first edition was published in 1986, there have been huge changes in the corporate world. Large centralized bureaucracies have given way to more decentralized and fluid forms of organization, and globalization has proceeded at a tremendous pace-changing the face of the world economy. Yet the basic ideas underlying the book remain as relevant as ever, because it seeks, above all else, to empower its reader with a way of thinking that can help us navigate some of the ambiguity and flux.

The central message is presented in two short chapters: the Introduction (Chapter 1) and the Postscript (Chapter 12). They show, very simply, (a) how different metaphors give rise to different theories of orga­nization and management, (b) how an understanding of the process can help us master the strengths and limitations of different viewpoints, and (c) how we can use this knowledge to become more effective leaders and managers.

By reading these two chapters, one can understand the basic theory. But it is by reading and absorbing the ideas presented in Chapters 2 to 9 and experiencing how they can help us understand what is going on in the world around us, that the book’s central messages really hit home. These chapters present eight very different metaphorical perspectives on organization-drawing out their strengths, limitations, and implications for practice. My aim is to give a practical demonstration of the power of metaphor and how it can be used to generate deep understandings of the nature of organizations and organizational life.

In the twenty years since Images was first published, interest in the role of metaphor has grown enormously. Organization and management prac­titioners, theorists, and researchers have developed many new metaphors for thinking about organization. For example, metaphors derived from chaos and complexity science, from the field of jazz, “improv” theater and movie making, from law and accounting, from the field of ecology and sustainability, from cyberspace, and from the mosaic-like diversity of the global economy have all been used to create frameworks for thinking about modern organization. And the list will no doubt continue to grow as management practitioners and researchers seek yet other metaphors to deal with the new realities being faced.

Hence, in producing the current edition, I have run up against the obvious questions: “Should I go back to the beginning and start writing the book all over again?” “Should I try to take account of all the new metaphors that have appeared?”

I confronted the same questions in writing the 1997 edition of Images and have reached the same conclusion. The structure and approach adopted in the original version still serve the book’s main purpose very well. Now, as then, my aim is not to present an exhaustive account of every conceivable metaphor that can be used to understand and shape organizational life. Rather, it is to reveal, through illustration, the power of metaphor in shaping organization and management and how the ulti­mate challenge is not to be seduced by the power or attractiveness of a single metaphor-old or new-so much as to develop an ability to integrate the contributions of different points of view.
Hence, in the current edition, I have limited the revisions to an updat­ing of the references and bibliographic notes to ground the book’s thesis in some of the most recent literature. I have also updated some factual data on the role of multinationals in the global economy but left the basic structure, arguments, and illustrations unchanged. As you read each chapter, I’m sure that you’ll find yourself making connections with many contemporary issues and developments, such as the following:

• The crises associated with high-profile scandals at Emon and else­where in relation to corporate governance and the role, manage­ment, and motivations of large corporations in the global economy (“The Ugly Face,” discussed in Chapter 9)
• The increasing relevance of chaos and complexity science in explain­ing the unpredictable nature of organizational change (Chapter 8)
• The importance of understanding organizational power and politics (Chapter 6)

• How the classic machine model of organization (Chapter 2) contin­ues to underwrite many franchising systems worldwide and the methods of low-cost manufacturing and outsourcing systems in developing countries, re-creating the old industrial revolution in a new twenty-first-century form

• How the increasing use of teams and “24/7” modes of global operation are giving rise to new “species” of organization (Chapter 3), requiring new cultural norms and practices and an in-depth under­standing of the links between organization, management and culture (Chapter 5)
• How the internet and other forms of information technology supporting instant networking and continuous learning are making the image of” organizations as brains,” discussed in Chapter 4, more and more of a reality
• How conscious and unconscious motivations continue to shape organizations and the political and social landscape in deep and hidden ways (Chapter 7)

These links with contemporary developments are spelled out in the Bibliographic Notes and provide a useful trail for further in-depth reading.

As always, my work has benefited from the contributions of many people. They are recognized in the Acknowledgments section on page xv. I offer them all my sincere thanks.