How we fight: A critical exploration of US military doctrine. (July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Paparone, Chris
• Other Names: Bloomfield Brian guest-editor.; Burrell Gibson guest-editor.; Suchman Lucy guest-editor.; Vurdubakis Theodore guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Organization. Volume 24:Number 4(2017:Jul.)
• Page Start: 516
• Page End: 533
• Publication Date: 2017-07
• Subjects: Closed-world discourse -- generic sensemaking -- grand narrative -- military doctrine -- systematicity; Organizational sociology -- Periodicals; Organization -- Periodicals; 302.35
• DOI: 10.1177/1350508417693853
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1350-5084

Abstract

This essay seeks to answer the question, 'How can we understand and critically examine the role of doctrine by which US military operations are conceptualized and performed?' I employ Jean-François Lyotard's theory of the modernist grand narrative and Karl E. Weick's construct of generic sensemaking to demonstrate and criticize how doctrine's logic of systematicity has become institutionalized in US military.