Authorial Incongruity and Organizational Presence(s): A Ventriloquial Analysis of Shadowed Organization

Abstract

This article explores how contradictory sources of authority manifest the organizational presence of a crisis pregnancy center (CPC) in the southeastern region of the United States. As a type of shadowed organization, a CPC’s organizational presence is produced in a tensional space between dialectics of revelation and concealment. With an interest toward understanding these dynamics, we conduct a ventriloquial analysis of CPC’s pamphlets and website to examine how sources of authority produce the CPC as a distinct organization. Through this analysis, we develop the idea of authorial incongruity—the co-presence of multiple and heterogeneous sources of authority—to demonstrate how organizational presence emerges as a byproduct of tensional relations between authorities, which serve as resources for organizations seeking to present themselves as consistently “who they have always been.” The implications of these findings suggest distinct challenges and opportunities for building strategic relations between (shadowed) organizations and various incongruent stakeholder groups.