From a logic perspective to a paradox perspective in the analysis of an employee-owned company

The methodological question of how the researcher tackles the problem of only having access to empirical data through social interpretation processes (a second-order social constructivism) is addressed. It is argued that researchers can learn new aspects about an organization by replacing a logic perspective, predominant within western research, with a paradox perspective on the analysis of the organization. A paradox perspective rests on the assumption that mutually exclusive phenomena exist in the organization. The four phases of analysis which were developed when a paradox perspective was applied to analyze development at an employee-owned Danish newspaper are described.