Organization Studies as a Scientific and Humanistic Enterprise: Toward a Reconceptualization of the Foundations of the Field

Recent critiques of social science have emphasized their ties to the concerns of academic disciplines usually labelled as humanities. Building on this literature, this paper argues that organizational studies must be reconfigured as science and humanities. Substantive examples are drawn from the links of organizational theory to history, the use of semiotics, rhetorical analysis and narrative approaches to policy choices. Reconfiguring the field also has implications for applied work leading to an enlightenment model.