Understanding Organizational Narrative-Counter-narratives Dynamics:

Abstract

There is a rich tradition of studying narratives in the fields of communication and language at work. Our purpose is to review two approaches to narrative-counter-narrative dynamics. The first is ‘storytelling organization theory’ (SOT), which interplays western retrospective-narrative ways of knowing with more indigenous ways of knowing called ‘living stories’, ‘pre-narrative’ and ‘pre-story’, and the prospective-‘antenarrative’ practices. The second is the communication as constitutive of organization (CCO) approach to narrative-counter-narrative. Both SOT and CCO deconstruct dominant narratives about communication and language at work. Both theories revisit, challenge, and to some extent cultivate counter-narratives. SOT seeks to go beyond and beneath the narrative-counter-narrative ‘dialectic’ in an antenarrative approach. CCO pursues counter-narratives as a useful tool to make tensions within and between organizations and society, salient as they may contest or negotiate dominant narratives, which hinder the organization from benefitting from less powerful counter-narratives.

Counter-Narratives Mobilized by Deprived Communities Through Theatre Interventions: Deconstructing and Reframing Master Narratives

“…In sum, analyzing counter-narratives uncovers and displays “alternative ways of the situation proposed […] what the situation dictates, requires or commands” (Boje & Lundholt, 2018, p. 24). We will take a brief look at the concept of situation, which sheds light on the requirements of a counter-narrative and its generative process.…”

“…From an interactionist perspective, problematic situations require actors to use the available frames they have at hand to make sense of what is happening. A narrative perspective sees the need for actors to develop alternative narrative strategies to comprehend the negative experiences they endure (Boje & Lundholt, 2018; Hoyer & Steyaert, 2015). Our study draws on both perspectives, with a particular focus on the potential of narrative analysis in comprehending problematic situations that involve oppression and social exclusion.…”