Abstract

As researchers, theorists and practitioners in and about organizations, we have tended to take for granted the modern organization. This is hazardous in that organizations are ubiquitous in modern society and their influence pervasive. As we move into postmodern societies, modern structures may not do. Utilizing a postmodern framework, this work suggests a postmodern social research tool, drawn from classification theory, with which to build a critique of the modern organization. The history of the organization is linked to the dawn of modernity, and its ties to the values of our times are explored. This classificatory method is applied to an analysis of structured social settings and demonstrates that our typical conception of the modern organization is inadequate for postmodern times. This dissertation closes with some suggestions for alternative conceptions of the postorganization and suggestions for further development, including a new look at ethics and morality in our structured social settings