Negative spaces as a strategic decision: The case of the Israeli Security Agency

Abstract

The term negative spaces was coined in 2021, referring to situations and contexts in which dialogue is not possible or appropriate. The purpose of this article is to further explore this concept by using the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) as a case study to investigate whether organizations can choose negative spaces as a purposeful, strategic decision. The study uses an interdisciplinary theoretical framework, combining the notion of open governments, the Strata Approach to Dialogue Analysis (SADA) framework, and negative spaces of dialogue. It also triangulates research methods, including quantitative and qualitative content analysis, as well as a first-time, in-depth interview with a former Head of Communications for the ISA who served in the organization for fifteen years.