Death and the Penguin: Modularity, alienation and organizing

Aroles, J; Clegg, S; Granter, E

Abstract

The originality of this paper lies in the ways in which it explores how the depiction of organised crime within Andrey Kurkov’s novel Death and the Penguin can inform our understanding of organisational modularity. This non-orthodox approach might open up new avenues of thought in the study of organisational modularity while further illustrating how novelistic worlds can inform accounts of organisational realities. Two main research questions underlie the paper. How can Andrey Kurkov’s novel further our understanding of the complexity of organisational worlds and realities by focusing our attention on different landscapes of organising? How does Kurkov’s novel help us grasp the concept of modularity by drawing attention to new forms of modular organisation? Drawing from our reading of Kurkov’s novel, we primarily explore organisational modularity through Kurkov’s depiction of organised crime and consider the themes of alienation and isolation in the context of modular organising.

Citation

Aroles, J., Clegg, S., & Granter, E. (2019). Death and the Penguin: Modularity, alienation and organizing. Culture and Organization, 25(2), 104 -117. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759551.2018.1509861

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 30, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Aug 20, 2018
• Publication Date: 2019
• Deposit Date: Aug 28, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 20, 2020
• Journal: Culture and Organization
• Print ISSN: 1475-9551
• Electronic ISSN: 1477-2760
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 25
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 104 -117
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14759551.2018.1509861
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1316197