The rhetoric of organizational stability and creativity

An Analysis of the Term 'Platform

Bibliographic Data

ID3070105
AuthorsLarry D Browning, Joseph Brentlinger, Joseph Dee Brentlinger (The University of Texas at Austin), Jan-Oddvar Sørnes (0000-0001-9833-3628), Keri K Stephens (0000-0002-9526-2331, The University of Texas at Austin)
Year2013
Volume4
Issue1
Pages100-114
Publication date2013-02-17
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNordic Journal of Social Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1892-2783 • E-ISSN: 1892-2783
PublisherScandinavian University Press (PUBLISHER • NO)
DOI10.7577/njsr.2069
OpenAlexW2341032574
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited15

This article analyses the term platform as it surfaced in interview data from Norway and the United States that was collected in a field research project on organizational technology use. Through an inductive analysis of the term’s use in six interviews, a conceptualization of the term reveals it to be rhetorical in nature, expressing the interplay between stability and creativity. In order to explain the rhetorical aspects we describe, the authors turn to the rhetorical critic Kenneth Burke’s work to aid in conceptualizing the term, specifically his understanding of scene and agency. The authors present the conceptualization to help researchers on two levels. On the micro-level, we offer an analysis of the term platform. On the macro-level, we illustrate how grounded theory can help locate other terms that have unacknowledged salience to researchers, consultants, and interviewees

Creativity · Epistemology · Knowledge management · Linguistics · Rhetoric · Sociology · Stability (learning theory · Term (time · Computer Science · Information Systems Theories and Implementation · Open Source Software Innovations · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Team Dynamics and Performance

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Open DOIOpen Access