One text, multiple interpretations: hermeneutical anthropology and organizational culture

Abstract

This article intends to contribute for the understanding concerning the symbolic dimension on the construction of the organizational reality. At first it presents ethnographic data which describe an illustrative case of cultural conflicts in the business universe. Afterwards, some theoretical reflections are accomplished starting from the presented case. At this moment, it intends to seek: a) an abbreviation of literature revision on the symbolic-interpretative anthropology taking as reference Clifford Geertz’s works, main representative of this current of anthropological discipline, as well as some authors who have studied and criticized his work; b) the translation of original ideas of the interpretative or hermeneutics anthropology to reflect about the cultural dynamics in the organizations. The final purpose of the article is therefore make the advance of the debate about organizational culture, presenting the contributions of that anthropological perspective as a possibility of overcoming the limits left by the functionalist current which has been dominant in this sub-field of studies until nowadays.