TY - JOUR
T1 - ‘Accounting talk’ through metaphorical representations
T2 - change agents and organisational change in home-based elderly care
AU - Carlsson-Wall, Martin
AU - Kraus, Kalle
AU - Lund, Malin
AU - Sjögren, Ebba
PY - 2016/4/2
Y1 - 2016/4/2
N2 - This paper has analysed a change process within an organisation providing home-based elderly care. Using a theoretical framework from metaphor theory and insights from the literature on ‘accounting talk’, we followed how metaphorical representations of accounting were introduced and developed by the change agent. New core values and practices emerged within the home help unit that were in line with the ideas and inferences made by these accounting metaphors. The metaphorical representations of accounting concepts linked the unfamiliar domain of accounting to a more familiar domain, and provided rationales for organisational change. Our findings highlight the importance of change agents and ‘accounting talk’ for determining the trajectory of organisational change processes. The findings also suggest that metaphors are a potentially powerful tool for both changing organisational members’ general understanding of financial issues, and forging specific links between accounting concepts and work practices.
AB - This paper has analysed a change process within an organisation providing home-based elderly care. Using a theoretical framework from metaphor theory and insights from the literature on ‘accounting talk’, we followed how metaphorical representations of accounting were introduced and developed by the change agent. New core values and practices emerged within the home help unit that were in line with the ideas and inferences made by these accounting metaphors. The metaphorical representations of accounting concepts linked the unfamiliar domain of accounting to a more familiar domain, and provided rationales for organisational change. Our findings highlight the importance of change agents and ‘accounting talk’ for determining the trajectory of organisational change processes. The findings also suggest that metaphors are a potentially powerful tool for both changing organisational members’ general understanding of financial issues, and forging specific links between accounting concepts and work practices.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84920854538&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09638180.2014.992921
DO - 10.1080/09638180.2014.992921
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84920854538
VL - 25
SP - 215
EP - 243
JO - European Accounting Review
JF - European Accounting Review
SN - 0963-8180
IS - 2
ER -