A comparison of industrial and information society's managerial metaphors

Management discipline, approximately one hundred years old is affected mostly by Industry Revolution and dynamics of 19.century. From the beginning of the 20th Century, management thought has followed as phases of classical, neoclassical, modern and post-modern approaches that compared and contrasted with each other. The context of the thesis is linked with social-economical transformations namely agriculture, industrial and information societies. This study is particularly based on industrial and information societies as they virtually contain management discipline. Industrial society contains classical, neoclassical and modern management approaches. On the other hand, information society contains post-modern management approach as a result of knowledge paradigm. In addition to theoretic and empirical comparative studies, this study is an effort in alternative dimensions using language and discourse. The comparative studies are generally resulted in differences of characteristics and constructions of two societies. Hence it is thought and seen necessary to compare two societies from the discourse point of view. Metaphors are selected as a phenomenon for managerial comparison of industrial and information societies. Multiple functions of tropes can be used for alternative views. The function of metaphor ?explaining unknown by known? is used for transferring abstract phenomenon to concrete forms. Metaphors were seen until 1980 as artistic and aesthetical usage in literature. The Modern Metaphor Theory focused on cognitive and linguistic sides of discourses. In this study, thought systems and cognitive structures of societies were evaluated by searching scientific language. The study was realized on secondary data as books and articles about industrial and information societies. Main resources were determined by intentional sample method according to opinion of experts. A tracer process was realized on references of selected books and articles. When the data were reached at a satisfaction point the process was concluded. Secondary information was analyzed by document analysing method, especially content analysis. Determined metaphors were compared according to the dimensions of industrial and information societies? management thoughts. Managers, workers, management styles, organization structures and organizational power resources are the dimensions of comparison. Autocratic managers, blue collar workers and hierarchical organization structures symbolise industrial society. Also, democratic managers, white collar workers and flexible organization structure symbolise information society. According to the paradoxical side of metaphors; endurance, hardness and standardization are taking precedence in industrial society. On the other hand; change, innovation and variety are important for information society. In respect to positivist approach, scientific language has to be purified rhetoric and poetic. On the contrary, it is seen that purifying scientific language from artistic word uses is very hard and sometimes it is even impossible. From the view of post-positivism and hermeneutic, it is understood that scientific language is not generally pure, direct and objective.