The Sociology of Organizations and the Organization of Sociology: Some Reflections on the Making of a Division of Labour

This paper speculates on the emerging divide between ‘organization studies’ – a discipline largely practised in management departments – and the ‘sociology of organizations’. Using organizational culture as a case study, I argue that ‘forgetting’ is a key move in the construction of a discipline. Much organization studies' writing on corporate culture and symbolism is predicated on an amnesia about a wide body of older sociological work on ‘atmosphere’, ‘climate’, ‘personality’ and ‘informal structure’. This disciplinary constitution is productive of knowing, yet it also involves drawing boundaries that enable forgetting. Critically reflecting on the current division of labour in this area, as well as on the costs of amnesia, might encourage more historically informed forms of knowing.