Evocative metaphors

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Huff, Anne Sigismund

Affiliations: Department of Business Administration, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, U.S.A.

Abstract: The complex and diverse character of many organizations and their environments leads to similarly complex and diverse perspectives among organization members. This paper suggests that metaphors can be deliberately used to help delineate situations in which organization participants are unclear or do not agree. Three techniques are described. Each uses metaphor to find overlap in the diverse perspectives of a group. Each attempts to use the ‘logic’ of one area of perception to illuminate another. The general approach outlined also applies to situations in which diverse or unclear interpretations exists among researchers interested in the development of theory about organizations.

Keywords: Uncertainty, complexity, shared perspectives, problem representations, metaphors

DOI: 10.3233/HSM-1980-1304

Journal: Human Systems Management, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 219-228, 1980