Conceptualizing organization: hybridity and the naturalizing of dis/order

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study analyzes how organization is co-constituted by order and disorder through the examination of individuals’ interactions with standardizing discourses – the English language and globalized industry benchmarks. I conducted a thematic analysis of twelve participant interviews which centered on English use and the application of globalized industry standards. The research findings show that (1) cultural hybridity naturalizes the dis/ordering process in organizations and that (2) the dis/ordering process seeks to make the local legible to the global while ensuring local priorities are met. This analysis shows that hybridity introduces discontinuities in the dominant order but does not guarantee emancipatory outcomes when the existing regulatory regime is not open to alternative approaches to organizations.