Ego-documents in management and organizational history

Abstract

ABSTRACT The vibrant exchange between history and organization studies has triggered major debates on engaging historiography and theorizing with history. By comparison, studies of historical methods have received less attention. We argue that one missing debate concerns different typologies of sources, which facilitate systematic comparative analysis and interpretation. Specifically, we introduce the category ‘ego-documents’, which we define as ‘sources that reveal the historical self as a thinking and feeling being in the world (agency in structure) or unveil the impact of social norms and relationships on the historical self (structure in agency).’ We review the history of the term ego-documents and debate the virtues and challenges of using it in management and organizational history. We then distinguish four uses of ego-documents and explicate their sources and purposes based on articles published in Management and Organizational History.