"Classifications in Organizations: Three Case Studies," a Presentation by Anish Dave

Description of Presentation

Anish Dave, RPC Ph.D. Student

Classifications in Organizations: Three Case Studies

Classifications are basic to thinking, analyzing, and organizing knowledge.  Based on Bowker and Star's (1999) comprehensive work on classifications and a review of rhetorical studies examining classifications, my dissertation research explores three areas of classifications that have received inadequate treatment by scholars (Bowker & Star, 1999, rhetorical studies) who have studied classifications: 1) classifications' role in organizational conflict, 2) their role in ontological debates within organizations, and 3) their role in organizational narratives. My studies examine conflicting classifications that influenced DHS and FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina, an evolution-Intelligent Design debate involving ontological classifications, and Warren Buffett's narratives for their classificatory possibilities. The studies suggest that classifications are perhaps better understood through their consequences; are connected to conflicting ideologies; intersect with society and culture; and help us make better sense of organizational narratives.