Ricerc@Sapienza

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.