Complexity and change: Two "semantic tricks" in the triumphant oscillating organization

Abstract

This article is about the effects of the semantics "complexity and change" used for intraorganizational communication about the relation between organization and environment. Our hypothesis is that communications along this semantic will have profound effects on the organization as to steering as it undermines the idea of organizational unity and establishes the future or utopia as the frame of reference for communication around steering. Our empirical findings from the development in the Danish central administration points in that direction. This is not necessarily implying organizational breakdown, however it might provide the basis for "oscillocracy" that is steering through acceleration of communicative flexibility and ambiguity. As theoretical frame we have chosen the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann and his communicative systems theory, which is introduced at the beginning of the article. In the central part, we present our empirical findings and at the end of the article we reflect upon oscillation.