Exploring and Explaining Varieties of Secrecy in Organizational Life

With Christopher Grey, University of Warwick

 

The seminar will be introduced by Paul du Gay.

Secrecy is a common feature of organizational life, but has received very little attention within the organization studies literature. The paper draws upon sociological and organizational literature to propose a typological framework of the varieties of secrecy in organizations: formal, informal, public and private. These types of secrecy are illustrated with empirical examples from a) a study of the organization of signals intelligence in Britain during the Second World War b) a study of two global consulting firms and c) media reports of the Wikileaks disclosures. A discussion of some of the theoretical consequences of secrecy for the study of identity and power is presented. Overall, it is suggested that secrets and secrecy offer a promising and hitherto under-explored avenue for organizational researchers.

 

Chris Grey is Professor of Organizational Behaviour at Warwick Business School, UK and  a Velux Visiting Professor at the WMO? Programme at IOA. Under the auspices of a Leverhulme Research Professorship he has just completed a research monograph, Decoding Organization. Bletchley Park, Codebreaking and Organization Studies to be published by Cambridge University Press in March 2012.

 

For registration and further information contact:
 Ane Lindgren Hassing, Department of Organization:
  alh.ioa@cbs.dk

 

Registration by e-mail before: 21st of October