Organizing Hope: Narratives for a Better Future

Crumbling social institutions, disintegrating structures, and a profound sense of uncertainty are the signs of our time, stemming from a situation in which traditional systems are dying but the new cannot yet be born. In this timely book, this contemporary crisis is explored and illuminated, providing narratives that suggest how the notion of hope can be leveraged to create powerful methods of organizing for the future, in communities, workplaces and businesses. In response to the increasing attention being paid to the shocking seriousness of the current state of the world, this innovative book offers a variety of ways of bringing hope into a situation otherwise defined by hopelessness, following a tradition of radical dissent by public intellectuals such as Zygmunt Bauman and Vaclav Havel. Chapters first consider theoretical and philosophical perspectives on hopeful organizing, followed by both empirical discussions about achieving change and more imaginative narratives of alternative and utopian futures, including an exploration of the differing roles of work, creativity, idealism, inclusivity and activism. Organizing Hope will be a critical and thought-provoking read for researchers and students of organization theory and sociology, as well as other social sciences. Politicians, policy makers and other decision makers in government will also find the book insightful and useful. Contributors include: G. Cairns, C. Ciupke, S. Clegg, M. Cwikla, D. Ericsson, A. Góral, M. Izak, M. Kallifatides, M. Kostera, W. Küpers, R. Longman, K. Matyjaszkowicz, J. G. McClellan, A. Milczarczyk, A. Morgan, T. Padan, M. Parker, R. Paulsen, M. Pina e Cunha, M. Polec, A. Rego, A.V. Simpson, A. Strauss, J. Vaughan, K.E. Weick

Table of Contents:
Contents: Prologue by Anke Strau. and Christina Ciupke Introduction: Organizing hope: Narratives for a better future 1 Daniel Ericsson and Monika Kostera PART ONE PHILOSOPHICAL AND THEORETICAL INSPIRATIONS 1 Hopeful organizing in the crucible of the interregnum 15 Karl E. Weick 2 Alternative futures: ‘Hope is a thing with feathers’ 19 Martin Parker 3 The utopian quest for an alternative 30 Roland Paulsen 4 Epimethean hope or Promethean expectation? The role of organisational behaviour 37 John Vaughan 5 Transforming work into “play”: Genuine conversations as hope for meaningful organizational change 49 John G. McClellan 6 Hope in business organizing for societal progress: Three narratives 61 Stewart Clegg, Ace Volkmann Simpson, Miguel Pina e Cunha, and Arm.nio Rego 7 Post-Pandoran hope for moving wisely beyond the neo- Promethean Anthropocene 72 Wendelin Küpers PART TWO EMPIRICAL AND IMAGINATIVE INSPIRATIONS 8 ‘Hope-full purpose’: Time, oblivion, and the strange attractors of Pandora’s box 85 Richard Longman 9 Against organization – farewell to hope? 96 George Cairns 10 Idealists and dreamers: Struggling for more resilient communities via alternative organisations 108 Anna G.ral 11 Cadriste (R)Evolution 120 Markus Kallifatides 12 The hope of discomfort: Using democratic citizenship education for transformative learning 132 Tali Padan 13 Technologies of the commune: A bridge over troubled water? 142 Daniel Ericsson 14 “Dad, Do Not Cry”: Imagination and creativity on their own terms in inclusive cities and communities 153 Agata Morgan 15 Street performances in hope for the future of the urban sphere: Human interaction, self-realization and emotive enactment 166 Marta Połeć 16 There is hope in organizing: Dialogic imagination against linearity 176 Michał Izak and Monika Kostera 17 Good labour: Affirmative work awareness and hope 188 Małgorzata Ćwikła 18 Actors of goodness and hope in action 199 Aneta Milczarczyk Postscript: Avalanche 210 Karolina Matyjaszkowicz References 212 Index 241