ORGANIZATIONS AS ‘ROCK BANDS’; DEVELOPING A METAPHORICAL UNDERSTANDING OF POST-MODERNISTIC ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURES

Abstract

In Morgan’s ‘Images of the Organizations’, organizations are metaphorically explained in different ways like organisms, machines brains, cultures, systems of politics, psychic prisons, tools of domination and. Several researchers have highlighted the urgency of generating new metaphors in order to develop deeper understandings of emerging forms of organizations. The objective of this paper is to propose a metaphor that can help in understanding the life cycle of the post modernistic entrepreneurial ventures. The paper attempts to introduce the metaphor ‘Rock Bands’ for post modernistic entrepreneurial ventures, based on the similarities in life cycle stages i.e. formation, collaboration and dissolution. Apart from discussing the life cycle similarities this paper also advocates the adequacy of metaphor based on similarities in traits of entrepreneurial teams and rock bands in term of their approach towards work. Finally, paper reaches the conclusion that ‘Rock Band’ not only suits the emerging entrepreneurial ventures as a metaphor, but it also has some important lessons to offer for aspiring entrepreneurs.