The Communicative Constitution of Organizations: The Four Flows Model

The Four Flows Model illustrates how communication makes an organization what it is, presenting in-depth information on the Communicative Constitution of Organizations (CCO). Written by a team of renowned experts in the field, this comprehensive resource is designed for all those involved in the study of organizations, particularly advanced students and researchers in Business, Sociology, Communication Studies, and the subdiscipline of Organizational Communication.

Organized into eleven substantial chapters, the text clearly and thoroughly explains all key aspects of Four Flows Theory (4F) and provides a theoretical grounding in its parent, Structuration Theory (ST). The book draws upon original research and evidence to demonstrate that organizations are not constituted in merely one way, but rather by four analytically different yet interconnected characteristic flows: Membership Negotiation, Self-Structuring, Activity Coordination, and Institutional Positioning. Throughout the book, the authors describe their theoretical developments through discussion of other key schools of CCO thinking, as well as important issues such as critical perspectives on organizing.