Enthinkment Circle

Purpose of Enthinkment Circle is host dialogues among the
Diverse Cornucopia of Ways of Knowing (WOKs)

Enthinkment, Enactment and True Storytelling (take 2)

Click here to hear Wave File Audio of Enthinkment Podcast
10 minutes podcast

Summary
The podcast explores the contrasting concepts of "enthinkment" and "enactment" as developed by Louis Pondy and Karl Weick, respectively. "Enthinkment" emphasizes deep reflection and critical analysis of organizational dynamics, while "enactment" focuses on how organizations shape their environments through action. The sources argue that both concepts are vital for understanding organizations, with "enthinkment" providing the foundation for informed "enactment." They further suggest that "true storytelling" is a powerful tool for incorporating "enthinkment" into practice, by revealing hidden narratives and challenging dominant assumptions within organizations.

David Michael Boje wrote this book about his Mentor Louis Ralph Pondy. Boje rescues a word, only spoken once by Louis Pondy, and is completely discounted in the management literature. On a walk in the cornfields of Illinois, Pondy reacted to Karl Weick, who is famous worldwide for his work on enactment. Pondy said, if it’s about new ways of thinking, it would be called enthinkment. Weick and Pondy laughed at the joke. But why does Karl Weick repeat the joke in his most famous books. All of Weick’s students and colleagues look down on enthinkment. You see enactment is how we enact the world by our five senses.

Boje wants to treat enthinkment as a major move in management and organization thinking, and as a partner to enactment. So Boje decides to read all of Pondy’s books, articles, and conference presentations, and write about the meaning and contribution of enthinkment. He sees connections throughout Pondy’s career. Boje’s student, now professor, Rohny Saylors, finished the book, and added ways Boje mentored him. They co-author this book. The book makes connections of enthinkment to true storytelling, and quantum storytelling.

Boje and Saylors founded the enthinkment circle, which have been meeting every Tuesday on Zoom. Their book is now published. Enthinkment.com is the website to find out more.

What is the "Tear in Management Thought": Exposing the Conflict at the Heart of Organizations
The "tear in Management Thought," as presented in the sources, refers to the disconnect between the idealized image of organizations as harmonious, cooperative entities and the reality of pervasive conflict within them. This "tear" exposes a blind spot in traditional management thinking, particularly its reliance on "bounded rationality" and the tendency to downplay the significance of conflict.

True Storytelling and Enthinkment: Implications for Organizational Dynamics
The sources suggest that "true storytelling" plays a significant role in Pondy's concept of "enthinkment," contributing to a deeper understanding of organizational dynamics. "True storytelling" helps to reveal the complexities and hidden truths within organizations, moving beyond simplistic and often sanitized narratives.
Here's how "true storytelling" contributes to "enthinkment" and its implications for organizational understanding:
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Unveiling Hidden Dynamics: "True storytelling" helps to expose the often unacknowledged power dynamics and conflicts that shape organizational life. By going beyond superficial accounts, it brings to light the unspoken tensions and competing interests that influence decision-making and behavior. This aligns with "enthinkment's" focus on "gathering together conflicts" and challenging the assumptions of harmony often presented in traditional management thought.
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Challenging Dominant Narratives: Organizations frequently rely on narratives that reinforce existing power structures and justify actions, even potentially harmful ones. "True storytelling" disrupts these dominant narratives by giving a voice to marginalized perspectives and surfacing uncomfortable truths. This resonates with "enthinkment's" aim to challenge the limitations of "bounded rationality" and promote a more critical perspective on organizational life.
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Embracing Complexity and Nuance: "True storytelling" captures the messy realities of organizational life—the conflicts, contradictions, and unintended consequences—in a way that simplistic narratives cannot. By acknowledging this complexity, organizations can gain a more accurate and insightful understanding of their own dynamics, facilitating more informed decision-making. This aligns with "enthinkment's" goal of moving beyond superficial representations and engaging with the multifaceted nature of organizations.
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Expanding Temporal Awareness: "True storytelling" can incorporate a broader temporal perspective than traditional narratives by including "antenarrative" elements—anticipations of the future, hopes, anxieties, and imagined possibilities. This expanded temporal awareness aligns with "enthinkment's" focus on considering the past, present, and future, acknowledging the dynamic and evolving nature of organizational realities.
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Creating Space for Ethical Reflection: The sources emphasize that "true storytelling" is not simply recounting events but also prompting ethical reflection. By engaging with the potential harms and ethical dilemmas embedded within organizational narratives, "true storytelling" allows ethical considerations to move to the forefront of organizational consciousness. This resonates with Pondy's view that management thought should explicitly address ethical dimensions rather than neglecting them.
In conclusion, "true storytelling" acts as a catalyst for "enthinkment" by:
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Promoting a deeper understanding of organizational complexities.
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Uncovering hidden power dynamics and conflicts.
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Challenging dominant narratives and fostering more critical perspectives.
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Creating a space for ethical reflection and more responsible decision-making.
By embracing "true storytelling" as part of "enthinkment," organizations can move towards a more authentic, insightful, and ethically grounded approach to understanding and managing themselves.

Here's a detailed explanation of the "tear," drawing on insights from the sources and our previous conversation:
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Bounded Rationality's Limitations: The concept of "bounded rationality," a cornerstone of traditional management thought, often frames organizational decision-making as a rational process aimed at achieving optimal outcomes. However, this perspective fails to fully account for the limitations of human cognition and the influence of power dynamics, competing interests, and emotional factors within organizations. The "tear" highlights the gap between these idealized models of rationality and the often-messy reality of organizational life.
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The Illusion of Harmony: Many management theories portray organizations as cooperative systems striving for shared goals, minimizing or overlooking the role of conflict. Pondy challenged this assumption, asserting that organizations are inherently "conflict systems" where cooperation is often temporary and fragile. The "tear" disrupts this illusion of harmony, revealing the underlying tensions and power struggles that shape organizational behavior.
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Suppression of Conflict: The sources suggest that traditional management thought often views conflict as a negative force to be suppressed or eliminated. This perspective can lead to the avoidance of crucial conversations and the perpetuation of dysfunctional power dynamics. Pondy's work, particularly his research on "conflict systems," advocates for acknowledging and understanding conflict as a natural and potentially productive element of organizational dynamics. The "tear" emphasizes the need to shift from conflict avoidance to constructive engagement.
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Enthinkment as a Bridge: The sources position Pondy's concept of "enthinkment" as a way to bridge this "tear" in management thought. By encouraging deeper reflection, the consideration of diverse viewpoints, and the exploration of underlying assumptions, "enthinkment" helps managers recognize and engage with the complexities of conflict, power, and competing interests. It provides a framework for moving beyond superficial representations and addressing the root causes of conflict within organizations.
Implications for Understanding Organizational Dynamics:
Recognizing the "tear in Management Thought" has significant implications for understanding how organizations actually function:
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Conflict as a Driver of Change: Rather than viewing conflict as solely negative, understanding the "tear" allows us to see it as a potential catalyst for growth and innovation. By embracing conflict and engaging with diverse perspectives, organizations can unlock creativity and find new solutions to complex problems.
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Power Dynamics and Decision-Making: Acknowledging the role of power dynamics in shaping organizational narratives helps us to understand how decisions are made and who benefits from those decisions. This awareness can lead to more equitable and inclusive decision-making processes.
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The Importance of Transparency and Open Communication: Bridging the "tear" requires fostering a culture of transparency and open communication, where individuals feel safe to express dissenting views and challenge dominant narratives. This can lead to more authentic relationships and a stronger sense of community within organizations.
By acknowledging the "tear" and embracing "enthinkment," organizations can move toward a more realistic and effective approach to managing conflict, promoting ethical decision-making, and fostering a more inclusive and dynamic organizational culture.

To contribute to the

In-page Menu Links==> Enthinkment SHORTS LONGER VIds Louis Ralph Pondy	How Enthinkment & Enactment are related
ENTHINKMENT Circle meets every Tuesday 1-2:30PM MOUNTAIN time zone. One Click Zoom Link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8950795007?pwd=b1BnMVVXT3V6UDRZUVFmMkU2NzQydz09 or Meeting ID: 895 079 5007 Passcode: Boje Email to for more information Most recent video ⏳🔜 🔮🔚What is Marquis DeSade's and Gilles Deleuze's approach to Time? There is NO NOW!	MENU More videos Enthinkment YouTube Video Playlist Louis Ralph Pondy Boje's Professional VIta Boje's Little Buddha site Antenarrative.com Link of Enthinkment to C.S. Peirce Link Enthinkment to the Hearts of True Storytelling Slide sets and presentations on Enthinkment
Who are the Founders of Enthinkment Circle? David M. Boje (vita) Duncan Pelly Jillian and Rohny Saylors Sabine Trafimow Join the Enthinkment Circle 'Thinkers': * Jack Appleton   * Paul Bannes  (Video on Geometry of Thinking) * Gerri E. McCulloh * Betty Beeler . Tonya Henderson
What is Enthinkment Circle? Enthinkment Circle extends the work of Professor Louis Ralph Pondy who died at age 49 his work left undone. Born 9 March 1938 in Lorain Ohio, and died 15 July 1987 in Urbana, Illinois. In 1978, Professor Louis Ralph Pondy shouted the word “Enthinkment” but just once, then made a joke about it, and never uttered again. He died 1987. Two years ago, we formed 'Enthinkment Circle' and take up the long path of thinking, called Enthinkment. It is a path of questioning one’s own thinking and the thinking paths of organizations. It was as if Pondy incarnated John Dewey’s (1910) How to Think, and Dewey’s (1927) own quantum leap after he was smitten by the Heisenberg Indeterminacy Principle. The drawing by Sabine Trafimow captures how Leaping Lou would explicate formulas, equations, and propositions from his training in physics, and then tidy up management and organization theories. What is Called Thinking?, a question Heidegger (1954) asked, and one that Management Thought can ask as it attempts to cope with world problems that are not just enactment sensemaking.
Art by Enthinkment Circle co-founder Sabina Trafimow Known to friends and colleagues affectionately as 'Leaping Lou', he was an original thinker. CLICKHere to Download Free Tribute Book in WORD to my mentor Louis B. Pondy, until published
What is Enthinkment Circle? Two years ago, we formed 'Enthinkment Circle' and take up the long path of thinking, called Enthinkment. It is a path of questioning one’s own thinking and the thinking paths of organizations. What does Professor Karl Weick say about 'Enthinkment'? in Social Psychology of Organizing (1969, and again 1979: 164) say? “The concept of an enacted environment is not synonymous with the concept of a perceived environment, even though citations of the concept would suggest that it is. If a perceived environment were the essence of enactment then, as Lou Pondy suggested, the phenomenon would have been called enthinkment not enactment.”

Meeting ID: 895 079 5007

Passcode: Boje