The visual constitutes an increasingly significant element of contemporary organization, as post-industrial societies move towards economies founded on creative and knowledge-intensive industries. The visual has thereby entered into almost every aspect of corporate strategy, operations, and communication; reconfiguring basic notions of management practice and introducing new challenges in the study of organizations.
This volume provides a comprehensive insight into the ways in which organizations and their members visualize their identities and practices and how they are viewed by those who are external to organizations, including researchers.
With contributions from leading academics across the world, The Routledge Companion to Visual Organization is a valuable reference source for students and academics interested in disciplines such as film studies, entrepreneurship, marketing, sociology and most importantly, organizational behaviour.
'This fascinating volume offers deep insights into how the visual plays an increasingly central role in the development of knowledge-intensive organizations within post-industrial societies. A comprehensive guide to how organizations increasingly visualize their identities and practices.'
John Hassard, Professor of Organizational Analysis, University of Manchester, UK
'The field of organization studies has been slow to develop the visual methods used in anthropology, ethnography, and sociology. Visual images are often mistakenly seen as decorative. But we live in an organized world saturated by imagery designed to influence, persuade, motivate, excite, and to sell, with individual and corporate consequences. Our understanding of the power of the visual has become more pressing with developments in online presence, social media, digital photography, and surveillance techniques. The editors also argue that the role of visual imagery in the social construction of our reality has taken second place to language, and they seek to correct this imbalance.
This benchmark volume clearly signals the visual turn in organization studies. It brings together an extraordinarily rich collection of work - ideas, perspectives, lines of enquiry, methodological approaches - that has until now been scattered. At last we have a unique and comprehensive overview of the scope, diversity, and above all the future potential of this exciting and rapidly developing field.'
David A. Buchanan, Professor of Organizational Behaviour, Cranfield University School of Management
'This companion is not trivial reading. It is rich, complex and diverse; consider it 'strategic reading', choosing relevant chapters according to your expertise and interests.'
Issy Drori, VU University, Amsterdam
