ORGANIZATIONAL HOPE - REAFFIRMING THE CONSTRUCTIVE TASK OF SOCIAL ANDORGANIZATIONAL INQUIRY

This paper develops the construct of organizational hope as a methodol ogical imperative for studying and strengthening organizations. It cal ls on organizational scholars and practitioners to move beyond the cri tical impulse by advancing ''textured vocabularies of hope'' that affi rm the best and most promising dimensions of social and organizational life and provide a moral image of the future to guide collective acti on. This can be accomplished by defining hopeful research agendas and choosing methods of inquiry that explore and illuminate the hopes and aspirations of a broad range of organizational members. After clarifyi ng the concept of textured vocabularies of hope, this paper undertakes a thorough analysis of hope by tracing the construct throughout the W estern intellectual tradition, highlighting four of hope's enduring qu alities, and offering a set of propositions that extends the implicati ons of organizational hope to our task as scholars and practitioners.