Implications of orality for management practices in Iran: an application of Walter Ong’s theory
International Journal of Organizational Analysis
ISSN: 1934-8835
Article publication date: 6 June 2023
Issue publication date: 5 April 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyze the implications of orality for management practices in a developing country such as Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper relies on the seminal theory of Walter Ong (1982) and a leading line of anthropological research to analyze the implications of orality/literacy for management practices in Iran. The authors first define orality and literacy as distinct modes of communication and examine their conceptual properties. Then, the authors draw on the existing literature to analyze the five main management functions impacted by orality.
Findings
The analyses suggest that the predominance of orality in Iran is associated with a wide range of management practices, including short-term or unstructured planning, spontaneous decision-making, fluid organizational structure, the prevalence of interpersonal relations, authoritarian and traditional leadership and behavior-based controlling mechanisms.
Originality/value
While most studies have focused on the impacts of cultural dimensions and economic variables, this paper offers a novel approach to analyzing management practices. More specifically, the paper suggests that in addition to the implications of cultural dimensions and economic variables, the mode of communication, namely, orality/literacy, could have significant implications for management practices.
Keywords
Citation
Yeganeh, H. (2024), "Implications of orality for management practices in Iran: an application of Walter Ong’s theory", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 32 No. 4, pp. 744-758. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-12-2022-3519
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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