Paradigms

John Hassard and Julie Wolfram Cox

Chapter 122 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Historical Organisation Studies, 2026, pp 431-433 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This entry offers a historical overview of theorising associated with the concept of paradigm in organisation studies (OS). Initially we address the origins of the concept in the philosophy of science and especially with reference to the writings of Thomas Kuhn (1962, 1970). We then document the historical impact of Kuhn's philosophy on the social sciences and specifically assess the adoption of the paradigm concept as the explanatory centrepiece of Gibson Burrell and Gareth Morgan's book (1979) Sociological Paradigms and Organisational Analysis, which represents one of the most referenced works in OS of the last half-century. Finally, we discuss the adoption of paradigmatic analysis in social science and OS for the period since Burrell and Morgan published their landmark work. In particular, we discuss the rise of post-structuralism and, more broadly, postmodernism and the options for accounting for such theorising within paradigmatic models.

Keywords: Burrell and Morgan; Organisation studies; Paradigms; Postmodernism; Thomas Kuhn (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035332922
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