The Oxford Handbook of Metaphor in Organization Studies

Metaphors for organization and management have been a subject of strong interest in the area of organizational studies since the 1980s. Metaphors enhance the understanding of organizations and provide a mechanism for critiquing current practices, increasing effectiveness, and improving communication. The Oxford Handbook of Metaphor in Organization Studies provides a comprehensive reference for researchers, educators, and managers. The book comprises twenty-nine chapters, which are authored by over forty contributors, many of whom have played major roles in the development of the field over the years. The theoretical underpinnings of organizational metaphors are explored. An array of metaphorical contexts for understanding management and organizations is presented. The various uses of metaphor as a tool in research, education, and management are addressed, as are the limitations of metaphors. Finally, future research directions related to metaphors in organizational studies and management are proposed.

Anders Örtenblad

Anders Örtenblad is Professor of Working Life Science at the University of Agder, Norway, and Professor II at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. He has edited books that have been published by Edward Elgar Publishing, Oxford University Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Routledge, and Sage. Together with Linda L. Putnam and Kiran Trehan he guest edited a Special Issue of Human Relations, ＂Beyond Morgan’s eight metaphors: Adding to and developing organization theory＂, and co-edited Exploring Morgan’s Metaphors: Theory, Research, and Practice in Organizational Studies (Sage, 2017). He is the editing founder of the book series Palgrave Debates in Business and Management.