Fully embracing the paradoxical condition: Banksy to organization theory

Abstract

Management and organization studies has recently expressed heightened interest in the concept of paradox. Paradox, etymologically para-doxa, is that which challenges the norm. Frequently representative cases drawn from the terrain of the arts and of artistic work have provided a context for exploring going against the norm, usually under the label of the avant garde. In this article we explore the case of one artist, Banksy, whose art per se is not necessarily avant-garde but who, through systematic use of paradox, composes a persona that embodies and thrives on paradoxical meanings, aiming not at finding some form of balance but at performatively expressing an avant-garde disruption of art world norms. The case of Banksy can be transposed to organizational analysis with the intention of illuminating how paradox may be embraced by avant-garde organizational scholarship that thrives on anti-normative moves.