Organizational Symbolism and Ideology*

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to discuss organizational symbolism research from a critique of ideology perspective. Various aspects of ideology as a metatheoretical concept are discussed. Criteria governing when it might be appropriate to conduct a critical analysis of ideological elements in research texts are also suggested. These include restricted social autonomy of researchers, socio‐political relevance and ideological usefulness of research products, social fashionability of research areas, pseudo‐objective style, absence of indicated self‐reflection and lack of manifested awareness of the social context of research in research publications. The organizational symbolism research field is discussed in relation to ideology and some influential texts are interpreted in the light of ideology‐critique. the criteria for a sensitive reading of research texts in terms of problematical ideological elements are applied and their relevance illustrated. the article also discusses the field of organizational symbolism in terms of Habermas' concepts of cognitive interests, emancipation and undistorted communication.