ABSTRACT
In an important contribution to the communicative theory of the constitution of organization, McPhee and Zaug (2000, reproduced as Chapter 2 of this book; see also McPhee & Iverson, Chapter 3 of this book) argue that “organizations are constituted in four constitutive flows” (McPhee & Zaug, p. 21). In each flow, they propose “a sort of social structure is generated through interaction.” The flows are, however, analytically, not practically, distinct in that “a single message can and often does make more than one type of contribution.” The “flows” identified by the authors are those which can be seen as:
linking the organization to its members (membership negotiation),1. to itself reflexively (self-structuring),2. to the environment (institutional positioning),3. to adapting interdependent activity to specific work situations and 4. problems (activity coordination).
