Multiple Paradigm Research on Organisational Culture: An Introduction of Complexity Paradigm

Abstract

The author presents multiple paradigm research into the organisational culture of a birdwatching association, where he conducted his ethnographic research. On top of the functionalist, interpretive, radical structuralist and radical humanist paradigms as presented by Gibson Burrell and Gareth Morgan, he applies the fifth paradigm into the analysis of the organisation. The so-called complexity paradigm, which was formed in 1980's based on findings about complex systems and networks that emerged in natural and social sciences, summarizes all other paradigms, integrating them into a coherent unit. According to the author, the approach that exploits the benefits of each previously known paradigm illustrates comprehensively the complexity of organisational cultures, whereas the new paradigm upgrades our previous knowledge on organisations.