1st Edition

Liminality in Organization Studies Theory and Method

By Maria Rita Tagliaventi Copyright 2020
150 Pages
by Routledge

150 Pages
by Routledge

150 Pages
by Routledge

In a time of flexible and mutable work arrangements, there is hardly a domain of organizing that has not been affected by liminality. Temporary workers who switch companies based on projects, consultants who operate at the boundaries between the consultant and the client companies, or ‘hybrid entrepreneurs’ who start new ventures, while still keeping their previous job, are examples of liminality... Read more

Preface

Chapter 1: The Foundations of Liminality

    1. Introduction
    2. Between and Betwixt: Experiencing Transitions
      1. Timeliness and Spacelessness
      2. Rites, Ceremonies, and Symbols
      3. The Anti-Structure
      4. Communitas
      5. Identity Work

    3. Liminality as a Realm of Possibilities, but also a Domain of Anguish
      1. The Creative Power of Liminal Personae
      2. The Negative Feelings Associated to Liminality

    4. The Liminoid Experience
    5. Conclusion

Chapter 2: Liminality and Organizations

2.1 Introduction

    1. The Changing Nature of Work Arrangements and the Diffusion of Liminality
      1. Liminality across Organizational Boundaries
      2. Liminality as Contingent Work
      3. Liminality within a Single Organization
      4. Liminality as the Pursuit of Multiple Careers

    2. Liminality in Specific Organizational Settings
      1. Entrepreneurship as Liminal Experience
      2. Liminality in Teams and the Relevance of Leadership

    3. The Liminal Organization
    4. The Aftermath of Liminality in Organizational Settings
    5. Conclusion

Chapter 3: Emergent Perspectives on Liminality

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Liminality as a Protracted Experience

3.3 Liminality as a Repeated (and Repeatable) Experience

3.4 Liminality as a Dynamic Experience

3.5 Liminality as Additive Experiences

3.6 Liminality as Degree of Intensity of Experience

3.7 Liminality as Creation of Practices

3.8 Conclusion

Chapter 4: Towards a Model of Liminal Experience

    1. Introduction
    2. Perception of Liminal Experience
      1. The Dimensions of Timeliness and Spacelessness
      2. The Dimension of Anti-structure
      3. The Dimensions of Communitas
      4. The Dimensions of Identity Work
      5. The Dimensions of Collective and Individual Practice

    3. Conclusion

References

Index

Biography

Maria Rita Tagliaventi is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of Bologna, Italy.

"The ongoing internationalization of business and the challenges of inter-organizational relationships suggest that Liminality is a topic of growing importance. This book provides valuable insight on the concept of Liminality, how it works within organizations and lessons learned from different Liminality experiences. In the field of global sourcing this knowledge will be valuable for buyers, providers and advisors." – Ron Babin, Ryerson University, Canada