Modernism

The modernist perspective focuses on the organization as an independent objective and takes
a positivist approach to generating knowledge. Modernist organization theorists focus on how
to increase efficiency, effectiveness and other objective indicators of performance through the
application of theories relating to structure and control.
Ontology of modernism: Objectivism, belief in an objective, external reality whose existence is
independent of our knowledge of it.
Epistemology of modernism: positivism, truth through valid conceptualization and reliable
measurement that allows to test knowledge against an objective would; knowledge
accumulates, allowing humans to progress and evolve.
Theory of modernism: Finding universal laws, methods and techniques of organization and
control; favors rational structures, rules, standardized procedures and routine practices that
govern organizations.
Method of modernism: Based upon statistical methods to discover the correspondence
between the hypothesis and the empirical world.

Postmodernism
The postmodernist will generate healthy skepticism toward any dominant theory and will
license you and others to try something completely different. The postmodern perspective
does all this by expanding the focus of theorizing from the organization per se, to how we
speak and write about organizations. Thus one phenomenon postmodern organization theory
addresses is theorizing itself. As such, postmodernism always makes you aware that theories
are open to revision and invites you to ask who supports them and why. Postmodernism
challenges categories, seeking to undermine them by blurring their boundaries and exposing
the motivations that produced or maintain them.
Ontology of postmodernist: Postmodernism, the belief that the world appears through
language and is situated in discourse; what is spoken of exists; therefore everything that exists
is a text to be read or performed.
Epistemology of postmodernist: Postmodernism, knowledge cannot be an accurate account of
Truth because meanings cannot be fixed; there is no independent reality; there are no facts,
only interpretations; knowledge is a power play.
Theory of postmodernist: Deconstructing organizational texts; destabilizing managerial
ideologies and modernist modes of organizing and theorizing; revealing marginalized and
oppressed viewpoints; encouraging reflexive and inclusive forms of theorizing and organizing.
Method of postmodernist: The goal is to uncover multiple interpretations of reality.