Abstract
Transformation processes are historical times that differ considerably from the normal course of events. As societal and group identities crumble or break down, it becomes difficult for the individual actor to retain a reference structure on which to base rational action. In consequence, actions in transformation phases often seem irrational and confused. The article argues that this perception is incorrect and should be substituted by the concept of mythical thinking as developed by Claude Levi-Strauss. Mythical thinking is a different, but not inferior, mode of thinking which moves to the fore when rational thinking is not an adequate or even possible reaction. Using empirical materials from East German enterprises, the article shows how the concept can improve the researcher’s understanding of managerial action in transformation times and explain hitherto “irrational” elements in people’s accounts.
Highlights
The connection between myth and transformation is a rather frequently discussed matter
Even non-scientific intuition may tell us that myths and transformation processes seem to be bonded in a strong and regular way
Even though modes of writing and telling may have changed, it may not be too far-fetched to look for myths in contemporary transformation processes
Summary
The connection between myth and transformation is a rather frequently discussed matter. The conceptualization of myth may take two slightly different forms: one is to regard it in a value-neutral way as one social construct among many others (e.g. Neuberger, 1995), the other is to oppose it to rationality or factual reality by stressing its symbolic, emotional, or non-intellectual character or the elements of fantasy contained in it. Cassirer followed an evolutionist perspective, this time from Hegel, assuming a “necessary development of the human spirit”, which again presents mythical thinking as something earlier and inferior to (Western) scientific thinking.
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