Theoretical Opportunities in the Study of Social-Symbolic Work

This chapter builds on the discussions in previous chapters that focused on specific forms of social-symbolic work to explore two main sets of theoretical opportunities that arise from the social-symbolic work perspective. First, opportunities arise to explore how different forms of social-symbolic work are combined in concrete situations—how actors might, for example, engage simultaneously in institutional work and organization work, and the dynamics and consequences of such a combination. Second, opportunities emerge from the connections between social-symbolic objects, and the efforts of actors to shape those connections. Before exploring those two opportunities, this chapter first reviews the forms of social-symbolic work explored in Chapters 3–8.

Self Work in Management and Organizational Research

The study of self work is one of the oldest and most developed areas of management and organizational research that focuses on social-symbolic work. This chapter reviews three literatures on self work in management and organization research. For each, it introduces the type of self work, reviews its development in management and organizational research, and explores the implications of studying it as a type of self work. First, the chapter explores how the concept of self work can help organize an extensive and well-developed literature through a discussion of emotion work. Second, it explores how the concept of self work can extend an existing research area by using the example of identity work. Third, it explores how a social-symbolic work perspective can motivate a new stream of literature by examining career work as a form of self work that remains largely unresearched.

Introduction to Constructing Organizational Life

This chapter develops the arguments that underpin the rest of the book, and introduces the three forms of social-symbolic work explored in greater detail in subsequent chapters. It begins by exploring the possibility of social-symbolic work that is rooted in the historical changes associated with the transitions to modernity and postmodernity. It then develops the concept of social-symbolic work, explaining its roots in studies of social structure and agency, identifying its three key dimensions—discursive, relational, and material—and introducing three key forms of social-symbolic work (self work, organization work, institutional work). Finally, it presents a process model of social-symbolic work that guides the analysis of the different forms of social-symbolic work.

Institutional Work

Institutional work involves actors purposefully engaging with their institutional contexts in order to create, modify, or disrupt institutions. In this chapter, we review the history of institutions as social-symbolic objects. We then conceptualize institutional work as a form of social-symbolic work, focusing on identifying the key dimensions of institutional work, and exploring the variety of actors engaged in institutional work.

Organization Work

Organization work represents the purposeful, reflexive efforts of individuals, collective actors, and networks of actors to shape organizations as social-symbolic objects. This chapter begins the exploration of organization work by examining the history of the organization as a social-symbolic object, and how that history has shaped organization work. Organizations as social-symbolic objects changed dramatically over time, and so the chapter explores the history of the organization, focusing on its transformation in modernity, and then its reformulation in postmodernity. It then conceptualizes organization work: beginning by exploring its discursive, relational, and material dimensions, and then discussing the kinds of actors who might engage in organization work.

The Social-Symbolic Work Perspective

This chapter develops the arguments that underpin the rest of the book and introduces the three forms of social-symbolic work explored in greater detail in subsequent chapters. It begins by exploring how the possibility of social-symbolic work is rooted in the historical changes associated with the transitions to modernity and postmodernity. It then develops the concept of social-symbolic work, explaining its roots in studies of social structure and agency, identifying its three key dimensions—discursive, relational, and material—and introducing three key forms of social-symbolic work (self work, organization work, institutional work). Finally, it presents a process model of social-symbolic work that guides the analysis of the different forms of social-symbolic work.

Conclusions: Understanding the Implications of a Social-Symbolic Work Perspective for Scholars, Change-Makers, and Citizens

This book has introduced the social-symbolic work perspective, which revolves around the relationship between social-symbolic work and social-symbolic objects. To explore this relationship, it examined three broad forms of social-symbolic work—self work, organization work, institutional work—and prominent streams of management and organizational research associated with each. This concluding chapter moves on to a broader set of questions concerning the potential importance of a social-symbolic work perspective for different communities. In particular, it explores the implications of the social-symbolic work perspective for scholars analyzing the social world, change-makers trying to make it better, and citizens trying to understand and cope with its roaring currents of change.

Organization Work in Management and Organizational Research

Recently, there have emerged in management and organizational research streams of research that are based on a view of organizations compatible with a social-symbolic work perspective and which focus on forms of organization work as defined in this book. This chapter reviews three literatures on organization work in management and organizational research. For each, it introduces the type of organization work, reviews its development in management and organizational research, and explores the implications of studying it as a type of organization work. First it explores strategy work as a form of organization work, the study of which has emerged primarily within management and organizational research. Second, it examines boundary work as a form of organization work, the study of which has emerged primarily in disciplines outside of management and organizational research. Third, it examines technology work as a form of organization work, the study of which is recently emerging in both management and organizational research and other disciplines.

Self Work

Self work represents the purposeful, reflexive efforts of individuals, collective actors, and networks of individual and collective actors to shape their own selves and those of others. This chapter begins by examining the history of the self as a social-symbolic object, and how that history has shaped self work. The availability and meaning of a self as a social-symbolic object has changed dramatically over time, and so the chapter explores the history of the self, focusing on its transformation in modernity, and then its reformulation in postmodernity. It then conceptualizes self work: it begins by exploring its discursive, relational, and material dimensions, and then discusses the kinds actors who might engage in self work.

Methodological Challenges and Choices in the Study of Social-Symbolic Work

This chapter explores the methodological challenges and choices associated with the study of social-symbolic work. To do so, we focus on a set of issues that we believe are key to successful research on social-symbolic work: developing productive research questions, identifying appropriate research contexts, collecting data on social-symbolic work and social-symbolic objects, and analysing the data collected.