The End of Organization Theory? : Language as a Tool in Action Research and Organizational Development (With comments from Bjorn Gustavsen, Dag Osterberg and John Shotter) Book

	Introduction	1
Ch. 1	Organization Development and Action Research	11
	The relationship between word and deed in organization development	11
	The organizational form of language: discourses	15
	Action research: organization development through the reorganization of discourses	18
	A sketch of a strategy for action research (in three phases)	22
Ch. 2	The Foundation Phase: Dialogue Conferences	25
	Linking up with the company's discourse	25
	Launching the development organization concept	28
	Dialogue with the executive management	31
	The decision to hold a dialogue conference	35
	The dialogue conference for the company	37
	The need for an internal public sphere at the company	39
	Old problems in new patterns: effects of the internal public sphere	40
	Break (1): from present problems to tomorrow's organizational form	43
	Alternating perspectives: personal experience and organizational understanding	46
	Break (2): from the subject matter of the dialogues to dialogues as a work form	49
	The simulation of the development organization	52
	The decision to establish a development organization	54
Ch. 3	The Project Development Phase: Development Organization at Work	59
	The development organization as an internal public sphere	59
	Interpretation of experiences with the development organization	64
	Modifying the development organization	68
	Discussion about cooperation problems	69
	The interconnection between discussion and cooperation procedures	71
	The dialogue conference for supervisors and elected department representatives	76
	Cooperation or conflict? Linguistic and real dilemmas	77
	Interlude: the question of delegation	80
	Discussion of the development organization: simulation of processes, not results	80
	Opinions on the differentiation of the development organization	84
	The yardstick for evaluating the development organization	86
	Separate discussions with the company management and the trade union leadership	87
	Strategy for transferring process competence to the company	93
	The supervisor's conference under the direction of the company	99
	Discussions in the company development committee	103
	The interpretation of the trial arrangements	104
	At the limit of discussions: a practical test	106
Ch. 4	The Institutionalization Phase	109
	The paradox of institutionalization	109
Ch. 5	Coda: Theory and Practice in Action Research	113
	What, if anything, is new?	113
	New theory and practice	116
	A new interpretation	118
	Critical language theory in practice	123
	An organization's internal public sphere: its nature and its supplementation	131
	References	147