Symbolisk organisering: en studie av organisatorisk förändring och meningsproduktion i fyra industriföretag

Sammanfattning: The focus of this dissertation is on organizational change in four industrial corporations. A special emphasisis placed upon the symbolic and rhetorical aspects when changing organizations. Main concepts in the study are symbolic management and management of meaning. Two main areas are discussed in the dissertation. Firstly, how the new organizational meaning is constructed or produced. Secondly, the character i.e. the contents of this new organizational meaning. The empirical material used as the foundation for the interpretations and evocations presented in the study has been collected from visits to four Swedish industrial organizations of which three are large world-wide or global industrial corporations. Although there is a great amount of Swedish influence in the ownership the headquarters of these companies moved outside Sweden during the 1970s and 1980s. The fourth company- established in the early 1980s- is still operating from Sweden and was until recently owned by the management group, comprising the founders of the company. Most of the empirical material comes from Alfa AB ( anonymously named so). The interviewing process started in 1990 and went on until the fall of 1995. Within this disseration an attempt is made to present some aspects of the process when constructing or producing organizational meaning. Also, the contents of this new organizational meaning is studied. One central issue discussed as a "finding" in the dissertation concerns the seemingly growing relevance and importance of the symbolic dimension in the new work organization. As discussed in the study this increased emphasis on the symbolic aspect relates primarily to the implementation of a process oriented work organization along with a process inspired philosophy of organizing. Within this frame of reference, physical boundaries of the organizations are becoming exchanged for more 'invisible' and virtual ones. From the managerial perspective there seems to be an increased interest in the symbolics of organizing to represent and construct organizational meaning in this 'new organizational world´. According to the study these new modern organizations increasingly seem to unfold as concepts or constructs.