Dialogical writing: Co-inquiring between the written and the spoken word. Issue 1 (1st January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Helin, Jenny
• Is Part Of: Culture and organization. Volume 25:Issue 1(2019)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 15
• Publication Date: 2019-01-01
• Subjects: writing -- dialogue -- performative -- utterance -- collaborative study -- emergent; Culture -- Periodicals; Organizational sociology -- Periodicals; 302.305
• DOI: 10.1080/14759551.2016.1197923
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1475-9551

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The foundational view of discourse as a descriptive mode of representation and writing as a retrospective stabilizing tool has been criticized in organization and management research. The purpose of this paper is to inquire into a more emergent, unfinished, and relational writing used throughout the research processes. To that aim, I develop the notion of 'dialogical writing' by drawing on the literature on performative utterances and a collaborative fieldwork project where writing became an integrated part of the research process. I come to understand this form of writing as one in situ where addressivity, responsiveness, and unfinalizability are emphasized. This enables writing to be part of a conversation; writing as a response to that which has been said and in anticipation of the next possible utterance. I close with implications for writing in organization studies, such as the possibility of thinking of writing as an offering of the tentative.