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From ideas of power to the powering of ideas in organizations: Reflections from Follett and Foucault

Carlsen, A.; Clegg, S.R.; Pitsis, T.S.; Mortensen, T.F.

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Authors

A. Carlsen

S.R. Clegg

T.F. Mortensen



Abstract

Research on organizational creativity tends to emphasize fairly static notions of coercive power as positional authority and control over scarce resources. The field remains largely silent about power as a positive and generative phenomenon that can produce creativity. We seek to break that silence by amplifying and integrating the work of Mary Parker Follett and Michel Foucault in concert with recent practice-based approaches to creativity. Power in organizational creativity, we suggest, should first of all be explored as processes of connection, abundance and collective agency. We show that whereas established ideas of positional power over is related to assumptions of linearity and singularity of creativity, ideas of power with and power to are associated with a more dynamic, relational and process-based perspective. The latter set of views implies more attention be paid to processes of interactional framing through which people jointly attend to situations, reach new integrations and produce new social realities.

Citation

Carlsen, A., Clegg, S., Pitsis, T., & Mortensen, T. (2020). From ideas of power to the powering of ideas in organizations: Reflections from Follett and Foucault. European Management Journal, 38(6), 829-835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2020.03.006

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Mar 12, 2020
Online Publication Date Mar 14, 2020
Publication Date 2020-12
Deposit Date Mar 15, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 14, 2022
Journal European Management Journal
Print ISSN 0263-2373
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 38
Issue 6
Pages 829-835
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2020.03.006
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1268177

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