Colors, Artifacts, and Ideologies

Sassoon, Joseph

doi:10.1515/9783110874143.169

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…This is supplemented by the inset photograph of the subject, symbolic of the kind you might find on an official ID, and the quasi paramilitary uniform replete with previous described baseball cap and dark polo shirt which just conceals a white t‐shirt reinforces this sense of a role that involves official sanction and the recognition of the male status. While the accent colour of orange is typically connotative of energy and extroversion (Sassoon, 1992, p. 175), the angular typefaces and what is a generally angular‐design relationship between the elements of the page all provide further dynamic and masculinised systems of signification, anchored by the corresponding textual passage which is, as already noted above, presented as a direct quote from the individual shown:Everything happens at breakneck speed . It's got to when you think we have to handle over 1.5 million packages in the space of two hours!…”

Section: A Second Moment – Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

The spatial and temporal mediation of social change

Hancock

2006

Journal of Organizational Change Management

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PurposeThe objective of this paper is to provide insight beyond the internal dynamic of organizational change and explore how organizations contribute, at the symbolic and aesthetic level, to the experiential stabilization of spatio‐temporal change within society more generally. As such, the paper seeks to contribute to critical debates surrounding the relationships between organization and society, particularly in terms of understanding change as an outcome of organizational activity within the broader socio‐cultural environment.Design/methodology/approachConcerned as it is with the critical interpretation of visual image and composition, the paper adopts a broadly structural‐hermeneutic framework directed at the semiotic analysis of a sample of organizational artifacts; in this instance, a sample of company documents chosen by virtue of their communicative intent and rich symbolic and aesthetic content.FindingsIt is argued in the paper that several recurring or generic constellations of meaning can be identified across the documents; vitality, ephemerality, subordination and authenticity, each of which represents an attempt to mediate the experiential tensions that emerge both from the dynamic and spatio‐temporal instabilities generated by the socio‐economic relations of modernity and the mode of organization which predominates within it.Research limitations/implicationsGenerated from an intensive sample, employing a subjectivist mode of analysis the paper does not seek to offer an exhaustive or unduly generaliseable overview of the content of organizational documentation. Rather, it aims to present a plausible account, given the broader socio‐cultural context within which they are generated, of a range of recurring themes or genres which indicate a significant relationship between organizational visual culture and the wider stabilisation of socio‐psychological relations within modernity.Originality/valueThis paper provides an interesting insight into the internal dynamic of organizational change.

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Section: A Second Moment – Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

The spatial and temporal mediation of social change

Hancock

2006

Journal of Organizational Change Management

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“…This is a fourth level of organizational control besides the three identified by Charles Perrow (1972) -control based on direct orders, control derived from procedures, and control attributed to the ideological premises of organizational action -which has had broad resonance in the organizational debate. It draws the attention of organization scholars to the complex set of sensations and intellectual understandings that constitute the object of study of organizational theory (Cwarniawska-Joerges and Joerges 1990;Doxtater 1990;Hatch 1990;Sassoon 1990;Witkin 1990;Witz et al 2003). In this approach, the research process articulates into three interacting phases in which aesthetic experience confronts analytical reflection: the phase of immersion in the organizational context being studied; that of interpretation; and that of illustration of the research results.…”

Section: The Empathic-logical Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aesthetic Understanding of Work and Organizational Life: Approaches and Research Developments

Strati

2010

Sociology Compass

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The aesthetic dimension of work and organizational life attracted the attention of organization scholars during the 1980s and 1990s, and its study burgeoned at the turn of the new millennium. There are today four main approaches to the study of organizational aesthetics: (i) the archaeological approach which privileges the symbolic dimension of aesthetic understanding; (ii) the empathic‐logical approach which seeks to grasp the pathos of organizational life; (iii) the aesthetic approach which emphasizes the negotiation of organizational aesthetics; (iv) the artistic approach which examines flow, creativity, and playfulness. They all engage in an intellectual controversy with approaches to the study of organizations which privilege the mental, cognitive, and rational dimension of social action whilst neglecting the material, sensible, and emotional dimension of work relations in organizations. This article will illustrate and discuss these approaches by paying particular attention to the topics of the emancipation of people at work and the style of work and organizational practices.

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“…Most large companies chose black for the sofas, which may indicate that life in the corporations is geared toward the priority of work over socialisation. Black usually signifi es solemnity and authority (Sassoon, 1992). Tracing back the origin and the infl uence of black in history, especially in anthropological studies, black is one of the sacred colours associated with tribal ritual practices (Turner, 1967).…”

Section: Black Sofa: Symbol Of Formalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tracing back the origin and the infl uence of black in history, especially in anthropological studies, black is one of the sacred colours associated with tribal ritual practices (Turner, 1967). Even though black is usually closely associated with the symbol of death (Sassoon, 1992), it also indicates authority and formality especially in community rituals, such as wearing black suits when att ending a court proceeding, a funeral, or a wedding in Western culture. Refl ecting on the business or corporate sett ing, black tends to embrace a new identity which indicates formality without negative ideas associated with the colour.…”

Section: Black Sofa: Symbol Of Formalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In his argument, Gage (1999) suggested black is a colour of the elite, and Izutsu (1977) and Harvey (1995) interpreted the colour as the symbol of the upper class. Although black is oft en associated with death and tragic events (Feisner, 2001;Sassoon, 1992), the positive element of black indicates "sophistication, prestige and being in credit for business" (Feisner, 2001, p. 118). These positive att ributes of black may be extended into the context of the offi ce lobbies in the city, which seek to associate their companies with power and success.…”

Section: Black Sofa: Symbol Of Formalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Organisational Symbols: Reflections of Organisational Culture?

Yusof

2009

International Journal of Management Studies

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The objective of this paper is to discuss the role(s) of organisational symbols in representing organisational identity. To what extent do the so-called organisational symbols have significant impact on the employees in an organisation in identifying themselves with the organisational identity? Is it due to the top-down approach imposed by the top management? This paper is based on a six month ethnographic study conducted in selected Information Communication Technology (ICT) based corporations in one of the Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) cities. From the fi ndings, there are three main organisational symbols which are related to organisational identity: identity cards, black sofa, and offi ce cubicles. The paper concludes that the construction of organisational symbols is a mix of a controlled culture (top-down) and to a certain degree is the participative activity of the employees. Nevertheless, the organisational symbols are embraced by the employees due to the need to be identified with an organisation.

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Colors, Artifacts, and Ideologies

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

The spatial and temporal mediation of social change

The spatial and temporal mediation of social change

Aesthetic Understanding of Work and Organizational Life: Approaches and Research Developments

Organisational Symbols: Reflections of Organisational Culture?

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