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Haridimos Tsoukas: Understanding Organizational Change via Philosophy and Complexity

The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers

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Abstract

Haridimos (“Hari”) Tsoukas is a Greek organizational theorist whose work has been influential in introducing and popularizing a holistic, process-based conception of organizational change. Traditional accounts of change assume that entities (including organizations) are by nature static and only undergo change after external force is applied. In contrast, Tsoukas maintains that change is ever-present in the social world and that change itself is the intrinsic basis for organizing. As such for Tsoukas, organizations are not static entities but ongoing processes of organizing, embedded within social nexuses of practices and discourses, which are constantly mutating. He identifies two main sources of organizational change: (i) the world being an open-system and (ii) the reflexive agent. The assumptions and conclusions underlying his work have been strongly influenced by interpretative, phenomenological, and process philosophy, as well as complexity theory. To acquaint the reader with his ideas and work, the chapter is structured as follows: first it will describe Tsoukas’ background, secondly it will summarize his key contributions to understanding organizational change, and thirdly it will discuss new insights from his work and it will conclude with his work’s legacies and unfinished business.

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Further Reading

  • Tsoukas, H. (2005a). Afterword: Why language matters in the analysis of organizational change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 18(1), 96–104.

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  • Tsoukas, H. (2005b). Complex knowledge: Studies in organizational epistemology.Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press.

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  • Tsoukas, H. (2015c). Thinking about organizational change as if change mattered: Insights from Bergson’s process philosophy, ODC Division 2013 distinguished speaker. Academy of Management ODC Newsletter,(Winter), 10–15.

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  • Tsoukas, H., & Chia, R. (2002). On organizational becoming: Rethinking organizational change. Organization Science, 13(5), 567–582.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK

    Demetris Hadjimichael

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  1. Demetris Hadjimichael
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Correspondence to Demetris Hadjimichael .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The George Washington University , Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    David B. Szabla

  2. Columbia University , New York, New York, USA

    William A. Pasmore

  3. The George Washington University , College Park, Maryland, USA

    Mary A. Barnes

  4. Columbia University , New York, New York, USA

    Asha N. Gipson

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Hadjimichael, D. (2017). Haridimos Tsoukas: Understanding Organizational Change via Philosophy and Complexity. In: Szabla, D., Pasmore, W., Barnes, M., Gipson, A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49820-1_96-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49820-1_96-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-49820-1

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Tsoukas, Haridimos: Understanding Organizational Change via Philosophy and Complexity
    Published:
    28 August 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49820-1_96-3

  2. Haridimos Tsoukas: Understanding Organizational Change via Philosophy and Complexity
    Published:
    23 May 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49820-1_96-2

  3. Original

    Haridimos Tsoukas: Understanding Organizational Change via Philosophy and Complexity
    Published:
    24 February 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49820-1_96-1

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