ABSTRACT
In this chapter we discuss the multimodality inherent in diagrammatic communication, specifically charts and diagrams that represent and enact organizational structures and lines of command, ‘balanced scorecards’ that instantiate organizational strategies, or timelines that organize understandings of temporality. We introduce some key characteristics of diagrammatic communication, such as visual syntax, de-personalization, objectification, context-dependency, de-professionalization, abstraction, and comprehensiveness, as well as symbolization and aesthetization as characteristics of diagrammatic communication. We then discuss the ‘grammar’ of diagrams, distinguishing between ‘narrative’ and ‘conceptual’ diagrams. Further, we provide an illustrative analysis of several diagrams and discuss resources for producing diagrams. We conclude the chapter by summarizing that diagrams conceptualize and regulate processes and structures through a visual syntax, but they also enable the visual realization of value-laden concepts related to mission statements and strategies. Accordingly, we suggest that diagrams ‘do’ things to the organization and its members. They create organizational realities. It is therefore important, for both academics and practitioners, to understand what exactly diagrams ‘do’, and what the consequences are for organizations and organizing.
