Polarities, Paralysis and Paradox: Centrifugal Dialectics

Christina Schwabenland
Additional contact information
Christina Schwabenland: University of Bedfordshire

Chapter 6 in Metaphor and Dialectic in Managing Diversity, 2012, pp 129-153 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract The quotation above from Edwards is one that I have used a lot in teaching. It is a deceptively simple question that goes to the heart of the dilemmas of managing diversity. This chapter is going to concentrate on difference and how it is constructed within organisations and by organisations. In this, and subsequent chapters, I am drawing on Bakhtin’s distinction between the centrifugal and centripetal dynamics that underpin dialectic. In a centrifuge rapid motion separates substances into components of different densities. Centrifugal force is that which propels these substances away from the centre. Centrifugal dynamics is a powerful metaphor for capturing some sense of the patterns of thinking that create notions of difference.

Keywords: Social Capital; Disable People; Power Distance; Uncertainty Avoidance; Voluntary Sector (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-1-137-02267-7_6

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.palgrave.com/9781137022677

DOI: 10.1057/9781137022677_6

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Palgrave Macmillan Books from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().