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THE ‘TEXTURE’ OF ORGANIZING
Author(s) -
Cooper Robert,
Fox Stephen
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of management studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.398
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1467-6486
pISSN - 0022-2380
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6486.1990.tb00263.x
Subject(s) - texture (cosmology) , action (physics) , grasp , tacit knowledge , field (mathematics) , process (computing) , quality (philosophy) , computer science , relation (database) , statement (logic) , epistemology , artificial intelligence , sociology , knowledge management , mathematics , philosophy , image (mathematics) , data mining , physics , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics , programming language , operating system
The article briefly introduces the concept of ‘texture’ and indicates its role in the organizing process. The history of texture and related ideas in the field of organizational studies is summarized. Texture itself is viewed analogically as a weave or web of interacting elements that resists operational definition. It is a tacit quality of the field of social action that, by definition, must remain beyond the grasp of explicit statement. Some implications of the ‘logic’ of texture are discussed briefly in relation to the understanding of ‘instrumental action’ in organizations as well as rethinking the ‘organization‐environment’ problem in terms of ‘contextures’.