Introducing a relational approach when theorising the organisation
Date
2021-11
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates the modelling and theorising of the organisation in social theory. It is
situated in the broader context of complex social systems with its specific application to
theories of the firm. The thesis starts by presenting selected theories of the firm and how they
are conceptualised by making use of metaphors. The thesis contends that current social
modelling practices are primarily situated in the dominant social framework of individualism,
and the extent of this dominance limits our view of the organisation. The thesis proposes that
we retake a critical position to better acknowledge the limitations of our theories that attempt
to understand social phenomena. From such a position, theorists can include a fuller
framework to model the organisation and include social theories traditionally placed as
secondary or derivative.
The thesis suggests that when modelling the organisation, a relational social theory should be
placed alongside that of individualist social theories. The thesis believes that relationalism
provides a framework that has the potential to inform the task of theory creation. This
relational emphasis will allow theories of the firm to more fully account for an organisation’s
relational dependence. Moreover, the thesis investigates how relational mechanisms move
past the traditional individualist/collectivist divide and therefore serve to connect the one and
the many. To provide an example, the thesis investigates the relational ideas that function in
the theories of the Triple Bottom Line, The IR Report and the Social Enterprise.
The thesis then incorporates the argument that when theorising complex social phenomena, it
inevitably requires making normative decisions. Here the thesis sees the decision on where to
designate the borders of an entity as reliant on an individualist normative framework. In
contrast, the thesis argues that a relational normative framework provides guidance when
moving between different levels of theoretical abstraction. The thesis makes use of the ethics
of care as a relational ethic in order to incorporate care as a central guiding practice to
societal construction. To provide an example of the relational mechanism of care, the thesis
makes use of the distinction between caring-about and caring-for that translates abstract
concepts into specific relations and our everyday practices.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar.
Description
Thesis (MPhil) -- Stellenbosch University, 2022.
Keywords
Social systems -- Philosophy, Economics, Relation (Philosophy), Social modelling practices, Neoclassical school of economics, UCTD