Transpositions as a hopeful methodology for organizational studies

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce Braidotti’s notion of transpositions as a methodology and strategy for ‘hopeful disruptions’ in the context of organizational inquiry. Transpositions consist of six interwoven practices―(1) embracing alternative ways of seeing and understanding the world, (2) assessing and critiquing imaginary forms, (3) preparing to make the ‘creative leap’, (4) accounting for locations and positioning, (5) storying the ‘in‐between’ space, and (6) developing new frames of resonance for existing cultural formations, such as heroic leadership. Underpinned by feminist posthumanist thinking, transposition practices produce ‘generative cracks’ in hegemonic systems and in dominant social imaginaries, as well as bringing forth affirmative alternatives for thought and practice. As a feminist approach, it is also concerned with engaging gender differently and strategically to chart paths out of restrictive categories and reductive, individualist notions of being. Playing with the inherently subversive nature of this approach and tapping into our desire to disrupt the masculine ‘common sense’ of much social science research, we draw on the insights and writings of feminist speculative fiction authors to elaborate on the six practices and their implications for researchers. We further demonstrate the potential for transpositions in organizational studies through a discussion of radical empiricist approaches to inquiry and collaborative research projects.