This thesis is an inquiry into the practice of imagining of organisational futures. The aims of this research are to promote understanding of imagining as relational, discursive and dialogical practice in organisations, to develop opportunities for imagining in organisations drawing on systemic and social constructionist theories and practices, and to develop propositions informing systemic constructionist practice. It is a reflexive, qualitative, case and practice based research, informed by ethnographic sensibility, using Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) theory and discourse analysis as research methods. The focus of this research is not to solve problems but to make sense and create connections. This research promotes an understanding of imagining as relational, discursive practice and a critical appreciation of imagining in organisational theory and systemic constructionist practice with organisations, in particular the relevance of imagining in organisational opportunity, alignment and coordination, organisational decision making, and organisation development. Reflections on imagining practice are articulated as concepts of games of imagining expressing archetypical discursive forms of imagining, discursive reflexivity, a practice of reflexive evaluating of the unfolding talk for the emergent possibilities in it, and game changing, an expanding of possibilities for imagining from within a conversational situation. Drawing on reflections from theory and practice this research promotes the relevance of relational, discursive imagining for organisational task attainment and makes a case for advancing imagining practices through developing the participation in imagining processes and by foregrounding and institutionalising imagining in organisations. It argues that such developments can be of a transformational nature and positions systemic constructionist practice as a resource for such a development. This research contributes to systemic constructionist practice research by developing practice based frameworks that serve to orientate practitioners in the living moment of practising. It builds on established frameworks of systemic constructionist theory and practice, expands their relevance, and also invites critical and appreciative sensibilities in relation to systemic constructionist practice. This research contributes to a small body of empirical case research into organisational imagining informed by social constructionist positions and ethnographic sensibility.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:636565 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Miksits, Martin |
| Publisher | University of Bedfordshire |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/10547/345640 |
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