The present research project aims at providing a comprehensive understanding of antecedents, key features and modes of application of generative semiotics into the field of organizational research. Starting from the intrinsic narrativity of all discourses, A. J. Greimas developed a model of semiotic analysis that can be applied to a number of research purposes. A central tenet in this kind of approach is focusing on narrative structures of discourses for meaning attribution and sense production. However, managing the underline structures of texts and discourses requires a rigorous apparatus of knowledge about structural semiotics and the Greimasian theory of meaning generation. Unfortunately, Greimasian semiotics has been applied with quite exclusive reference to the distribution of key (actant) roles and selection of critical events in a way that scholars typically referred to it more as a technique for analyzing narrative interviews, rather than as an autonomous theoretical framework. With the primary purpose to strongly encourage a broader dissemination of generative semiotics in organizational studies, this research project will address the conceptual foundations of A. J. Greimas¿ theory to argue its application as both a research methodology and an interpretative framework to delve into the complexity of organizational phenomena. To that end, this study proposes a systematic review of the literature that will provide a first comprehensive knowledge of concepts and notions around structural semiotics and its application for managerial research purposes. Being motivated by the alleged existence of a number of theoretical and methodological opportunities, this study will contribute to expand chances for both organizational theory and research practice.
This study represents the first attempt to the full systematization of current knowledge about the application of Greimasian semiotics to managerial research and action. Overall, it is expected to make three important contributions to the extant literature.
From a theoretical perspective, drawing the research upon the generative theory of meaning requires to adopt an intrinsically interpretative approach, since generative semiotics and related arguments focus on meaning and its construction. To that regard, the analysis of both superficial and deep semio-narrative structures may contribute to discover meanings that different kind of narrations attribute to phenomena under investigation. Moreover, the idea that discourses hold an intrinsic narrativity might outline the necessity of studying phenomena in a structural perspective. In this sense, Greimas¿ theory is structural in its nature: it does not describe phenomena per se, but the relations between them (Søderberg, 2003). Applying Greimasian structural semiotics therefore means to get a gestaltic approach to the research. It implicitly assumes that phenomena cannot be known independently from each other, but rather through the knowledge that emerges from their relations, in a holistic perspective. To that regard, Greimas¿ generative theory of meaning shows great chances to advance both theoretical knowledge and research practice, since it allows for a comprehensive representation of multiple emerging perspectives, that make sense if (and only if) they are holistically interpreted.
From a methodological perspective, Greimasian semiotics offers a number of analytical tools (actants or narrative functions, modalities of agency and sematic relations) that can be used to support analysis and interpretation in narrative studies. For instance, they can show how phenomena occur and how they are perceived; they can highlight how events are selected and roles organized; they can outline which kind of symbols and values arise. However, taken individually, they are quite limited in their contribution to a full understanding of phenomena. The most important reason stems from the structural perspective they are intrinsically permeated of. Since it assumes that all levels of narrative structures contribute to generate meaning, Greimas¿ generative theory of meaning includes all of them in a unique comprehensive approach to the study of a phenomenon. In this sense, it can be applied as a research method that combines and integrates a number of analytical tools for studying organizational occurrences. In line with Barley (1983), in this way it can contribute to map entire systems of signification and meaning attributions, by maintaining a high level of consistency in interpreting events, actors, and meanings included in different levels of analysis. Clearly, the use of the Greimas' structural semiotics as a research method requires a careful evaluation of how to collect data, how to use different actantial categories for data coding, how many levels of narratives have to be included in retrospective interpretation and how to support the process of signification and meaning attribution. This research project also contribute to better understand all these issues at hand. Moreover, Greimas' semiotics can offer a final additional opportunity. Its structuralist assumptions and the analytical tools employed may contribute to make order and reconciliation among concepts, perspectives, definitions, theories, and evidence emerging from the extant organization research. Since all discourses are pervaded by narrativity, it is possible to argue that also academic discourses hold narrative structures. Therefore, Greimasian semiotics may represent a good analytic strategy that allows for supporting meta-analytical research design on organizational phenomena, methods, and theories, thus contributing to develop a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of interest (Schreiberg et al., 1997).
From a practical perspective, this research project contributes to provide researchers with an exhaustive knowledge of how to apply Greimasian semiotics when studying organizations. Moreover, stories and discourses represent suitable tools for management action (e.g. Denning, 2005) as they have an important role in maintaining or reproducing stability and/or promoting or resisting change in and around organization (Denning, 2005; Vaara et al., 2016:4). To that regard, they have performative agency because they may impact organizational processes and change the trajectory of events in organizations (Vaara et al., 2016). In line with this, this research project proposes the collection of a wide range of business cases and histories, thus contributing to better inform managerial action and decision-making processes (e.g., organizational changes).