Organizing with or without organization theory?

This paper originates in a curiosity as to how managers organize with or without organization theory. Doing fieldwork in a larger public sector institution there seemed to be some devices which could broadly be related to ‘organization theory’. For instance, project work, risk assessment and change management ideas. These devices were indeed used to organize. However, a lot of organizing also seemed to be going on without any organization theory per se. A claim which can be illustrated by a manager saying that ‘we don’t use any such fancy concepts’. Based on these empirical observations I investigate how organization theory (or the absent hereof) relates to endeavors of organizing. The following set of questions are in focus: How are organization theories brought into organizations to solve particular problems? Which shapes do the theories take and what effects do they have? And, also, what about the areas cleansed from organization theory? What shapes the organizing in these areas? The implication of conducting such analyses is that we might see that organization theory operates in lesser important or ‘wrong’ areas. Hence, accepting the premise that central areas of organizational reality are cleansed from organization theory, the paper will discuss why organization theory is not present where the organizational problems are occurring.