Using a discourse lens to explore tensions and contradictions in organizational theory and change: a conversation with Linda Putnam

In this article, we review the contributions made to the fields of communication and organization studies by Professor Linda Putnam. In conversation with the authors, Professor Putnam discusses her intellectual roots and reflects on her contributions to understanding the role that discourse plays in theorizing, analysing, and managing tensions in contemporary organizational settings. The extent to which these contributions align with new developments in the field of Organization Development, notably dialogic OD, and inform our understanding of the increasingly important role of social media in relation to organization and organizing is also considered. The article concludes by proposing ‘dialectical sensibility’ as a means by which to address the challenges posed by the oppositional tensions, power and politics that are associated with change, and, more specifically, with the role of the change facilitator.