Secrecy at Work: The Hidden Architecture of Organizational Life

Christopher Grey; Jana Costas

Published by Stanford University Press 2016

Secrecy at Work

The Hidden Architecture of Organizational Life

Christopher Grey and Jana Costas

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780804798167

Overview
Contents

About this book

Authors Jana Costas and Christopher Grey argue that secrecy constitutes a "hidden architecture" that underlies all organizations. Drawing on previously overlooked texts in organizational theory, as well as innovative readings of well-known classics, they show how secrecy creates a social order, establishing boundaries between insiders and outsiders that ubiquitously shape organizational decision-making and behavior.

Author information

Jana Costas is Professor of People, Work and Management at the European University Viadrina, Germany. Christopher Grey is Professor of Organization Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London and Visiting Professor at Université Paris-Dauphine. He is the author of A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Studying Organizations (2012) and Decoding Organization (2013).

Reviews

Martin Parker:
"There are nice echoes of post-war US interactionist sociology in the tone of this book, particularly in its refusal to engage in any particular grand or contemporary theorising...The idea of transparency in organizing, laudable in many ways, belies the fact that the control of information, and hence the production of secrecy, is constitutive of formal organization. Of course secrecy can exist outside formal organizations, as in the example of the lying lawyer who is also a lying father and husband, but formal organizations cannot exist without secrecy. The completely transparent organization would not be visible as an organization. In an age of conspiracies, when most people assume that organizations always lie, this book adds a great deal of nuance to that piece of cultural common sense."

Blake E. Ashforth:
"This book provides a very engaging travelogue through the dynamic complexities of secrecy in organizations, brimming with insight and liberally spiced with always-interesting illustrations. If secrecy does indeed become more of a mainstream organizational topic, as Costas and Grey fervently hope, we will have them to thank for blowing the whistle."

Craig R. Scott:
"In this engaging read, Costas and Grey lift the veil on the topic of secrecy to reveal the vital role that it plays in our organizing efforts. In an era where calls for transparency and openness dominate the organizational landscape, this book provides an alternative discourse to help readers understand and appreciate secret processes at work."

Yiannis Gabriel:
"This book sheds brilliant light on an area of organizational life that has not just languished in the dark, but has been systematically excluded from organizational theory. In doing so, it compels us to reconsider what we mean by 'organization' and how we study it. Essential reading for all organizational scholars, regardless of their theoretical, political or ideological positions."

Karen Lee Ashcraft:
"We think of secrets as nouns, gems hidden by organizations. This compelling book challenges that idea, revealing secrecy as a verb—a ubiquitous mode of communication that constitutes organizational life. More than something that organizations have or do, Costas and Grey expose secrecy as a process that makes organizations what they are."

Amanda Sinclair, Amanda Sinclair, Professorial Fellow:
"In their brilliant analysis, Costas and Grey break open a seam of organizing that we really haven't noticed till now. Of course organizations are structured around secrets, who is in the know and who isn't. Often fascinating, sometimes scary, this book reveals the ubiquity and potency of secrecy."

Steven Lukes:
"Secrecy exists everywhere. It is essential to everyday interactions and to the functioning of organizations. Costas and Grey's book draws on classical theories, contemporary research, and a wide range of telling present-day examples. They have written a pioneering, highly readable study; full of insights about how secrecy works, their book will help to focus future research on this wonderful topic."

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Introduction: The Plan Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Laying the Theoretical Foundations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	19
2. Bricks and Mortar: From Organizing Secrecy to Secrecy as Organizing Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	45
3. Walls and Corridors: Organizing Formal Secrecy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	69
4. Open and Closed Doors: Organizing Informal and Public Secrecy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	91
5. The Hidden Architecture of Organizational Life Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	115
Conclusion: Finishing Touches Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	157
Works Cited Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	175
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	193

Language: English
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 216
Keywords: Secrecy; Organizational Secrecy; Boundaries; Trade Secrecy; State Secrecy; Informal Secrecy; Public Secrecy; Groups. Identity; Organization Theory

eBook

Published: March 30, 2016
ISBN: 9780804798167