In the Same Boat? On Metaphor Variation as Mediating the Individual Voice in Organizational Change

Abstract

This paper discusses the notion of metaphor variation, and argues that it may play a significant role as a linguistic tool for positioning the subjects in a given organizational change. More specifically, it is argued that metaphor variation enables the subject to corroborate the organization's centripetal forces on the one hand, and to express the centrifugal forces that make room for individuality and divergence from the organization's official voice, on the other. This thesis is theoretically developed and illustrated by examples drawn from the context of organizational change in education.