Whither organisational discourse analysis? The case from paradox and leadership research

ABSTRACT

In this essay, I explore the possible declining interest in Organizational Discourse Analysis (ODA) in the organisational sciences. Towards that end, I focus on what some analysts mistake about it, why it is particularly suited to the study of paradox and leadership, and how ODA scholars can sustain interest in these approaches.

KEYWORDS:

• organizational discourse analysis
• paradox
• leadership

Acknowledgement

The author would like to thank Linda Putnam for her contributions to this essay, including portions featured in the forthcoming, Organizational Paradoxes: A Constitutive Approach by Fairhurst and Putnam (Routledge).

The author would also like to thank Colleen Mills for the invitation to keynote, the opportunity to write for this journal and, most of all, her collegiality and friendship. Her passion and enthusiasm for what we study will be sorely missed.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).