On agency and action

To date writers in the field of organizational knowledge appear to have been reluctant to engage directly with discourse theory, perhaps through a concern that introducing discourse means that knowledge and knowing will disappear from view. However, our aim in this paper is to suggest that engaging with notions of discourse can usefully enable us to shed light on aspects of organizational knowledge that have hitherto been hidden in the shadows. We illustrate this through considering two oft-debated issues within the field of organizational discourse agency and action. We do not suggest that this will produce quick or easy answers nor that discourse theory provides the ‘best’ way for thinking about organizational knowledge. Rather, in common with recent calls (e.g. Contu and Willmott, 2003, Hull, 1999, Alvesson, 2004), we believe that it will enable us to engage in debates that are important for the development of both theory and research strategies in the field. We offer this paper then, as an initial foray into these debates, with the hope that it will prompt others to join us in the discussion. Academic Track: The role of language and discourse in the creation and circulation of knowledge