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date: 08 March 2021

Abstract and Keywords

To understand the contemporary state of organizational culture theory and research, it is necessary to grapple with some of the major intellectual disputes that have swept through the humanities and social sciences in recent years. Some researchers choose to study a single cultural context, in great detail and depth. This article deals with five controversies which include: objectivity and subjectivity; etic (outsider) and emic (insider) research; generalizable and context-specific research; focus and breadth; and level of depth. These issues are introduced in terms relevant to all branches of organizational studies. Their particular application to cultural studies is also discussed here. These disputes are usually framed as struggles between opposing terms — dichotomies, such as ‘objectivity and subjectivity’ or ‘etic and emic’.

Keywords: organizational culture theory, social sciences, objectivity, subjectivity, etic research, emic research

Joanne Martin

Joanne Martin is the Fred H. Merrill Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. She holds a BA from Smith College, a Ph.D. from the Department of Psychology and Social Relations at Harvard University, and an Honorary Doctorate in Economics and Business Administration from the Copenhagen Business School. She recently received the Distinguished Educator award from the Academy of Management and the Centennial Medal for ‘contributions to society’ from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard. She serves on the Advisory Board of the International Centre for Research in Organizational Discourse, Strategy, and Change for the Universities of Melbourne, Sydney, London, and McGill. She has published many articles and five books including Cultures in Organizations: Three Perspectives (1992) and Organizational Culture: Mapping the Terrain (2002). In 2005 she received an honorary doctorate from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and the Distinguished Scholar award from the Organization and Management Theory Division of the Academy of Management.

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