Theorizing Relations between Past, Present and Future: Interactions between Process and Historical Organizational Studies through Whitehead’s Process Philosophy

Abstract

Our theoretical essay is an attempt to stimulate approximations and interactions between process philosophy - principally as proposed by Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947) - and historical organizational studies. In order to reach this goal, we outline some theoretical and methodological possibilities of intersections among these two perspectives. Following the presentation of central concepts borrowed from a strong view of process, we present organizational history as a continuous emerging process of becoming. Following, we discuss recent literature reviews and attempts to categorize intersections among process and historical organization studies. Finally, we discuss theoretical and methodological implications of intersections between these fields of study under the principles of the strong view of process. We also discuss the thematic as an opportunity for overcoming the paradigmatic hegemony and research limitations in the fields of organizational and historical organizational studies. We conclude by encouraging empirical testing and management applications of the ideas introduced in this work.