Pushing and Pulling Organizations to Paradigm Shift: Taking Direction from Indigenous Imagery

Abstract

In a world facing increasing global challenges such as climate emergency, wildlife extinction, pollution and poverty, most people recognise the dire need for fundamental societal change, yet, we are struggling to respond at a pace required to effect healing transformation. The paper offers two contributions, firstly an articulation of Indigenous-Maori images of the organization and secondly, we demonstrate how Indigenous ontologies and epistemologies, specifically seen here through Indigenous imagery contribute to shifting the paradigm of management and organizational knowledge and practice. In doing so we address how nations might shift organizational paradigms in order to help tackle challenging problems and achieve healing transformation. We present seven Indigenous (Maori) metaphors for organizations: Papatuanuku (personification of nature), kaitiaki (organizations as guardians), whanau (familial networks), taonga tukuiho (legacies), waka (navigators), raranga (weaving), and Maui (innovators). In doing so, we demonstrate how Maori knowledge has had an immense influence on New Zealand management and organizational practices, and signals the beginnings of a paradigmatic shift in the organizational landscape. We discuss the notions of pushing down and pulling up Indigenous imagery as a form of paradigm shifting, which taken up in other contexts presents potential for global transformation.