What is Postmodernism?

Postmodernism is a complex term that has multiple facets associated with the theoretical constructs that emanate from its definition. It is difficult to define because “postmodernisms” exist in a plethora of areas ranging from organizations, arts, architecture, literature, and the social sciences; however within the realm of these arenas there is a varying consensus on the exact understandings of what postmodernism is. Gaining a sense of what postmodernism is can be achieved through the examination of the extension of which it was spawned that being modernism. Modernism stated the notion that one discovers truth through reliable measurement, i.e. “scientific method,” and through this accumulation of objective knowledge humans would be able to evolve and achieve progress. The modernistic approach to organizations emphasizes the operation in the “real world,” driven by rationality and efficiency for a stated purpose. Thus aiming its focus on finding the universal laws and being able to define the methods and techniques of an organization through rational structure and standardized procedures. The extension of this perspective into postmodernism drastically changes the perception of the “fixed” reality into that of the constructedness of reality which is obtained through language and situated in discourse where there is no longer an “object,” but rather a concept. Unlike modernism, postmodernism can not be quantified in analysis; rather it is a participatory qualitative interpretation of one’s existence through experience. Postmodernism deconstructs the standardized procedures implemented in modernism and encourages the destabilizing of managerial ideologies with an emphasis on reflexive and inclusive forms of theorizing and organizing. Modernism stated the “truth” can be discovered through reliable measurement, however through the postmodernist constructedness of reality, there is no longer one sole truth to be found. No single world construction can then claim the definitive representation of reality. The main problem with the modernistic viewpoint is the method in which it states that one could learn everything there is to know about the world if one just does enough research. It’s all about progressing towards the ultimate truth through perfected forms of research and examination. This truth is based on objectivity, which is an illusion that is perpetuated on the fundamental act of questioning past knowledge to obtain the current truth. Postmodernism negates the foundation set by modernist reasoning and offers multiple factors of multiple levels of reasoning. The postmodern perspective is a constantly and fluid plurality where knowledge is developed through exposure and experience rather than through facts and information. Postmodernism argues that what we call knowledge is a kind of story, a text or discourse that puts together words and images in ways that seem pleasing or useful to a particular culture, or even just to some relatively powerful members of that culture. French philosopher, Jacques Derrida, in describing that knowledge is power, “observed that this is because modern thought is binary and binary thinking leads us to center our attention on one element of a pair while ignoring its opposite. Therefore the development and use of knowledge are always power plays that must be resisted for the sake of the powerless” (Hatch, 2006, p.16). The synthesizing of knowledge through experience will far exceed that which is accumulated through objective quantified measurement. As an organization it’s important to recognize the postmodern view of the whole is more than the parts when assessing the organizational unit. This puts the emphasis on the whole entity versus that of each individual. However, the modernists view through scientific inquiry provides universal optimism granting a healthy outlook for an organization on which to grow and constantly assess themselves for the greater good. The postmodern view of the realism of limitations is too esoteric in practice for the organization and could be potentially harmful to the entities in which it has an effect on because of the subjective nature in which it stems.