Continuity and vitality of worldview(s) in organisational culture : towards a Māori perspective

Abstract

Restricted Item. Print thesis available in the University of Auckland Library or may be available through Inter-Library Loan. Dynamic interactions between the spiritual and the secular are explored in this thesis and three overarching propositions are incorporated. Firstly I propose that a Maori worldview constitutes a paradigm. Secondly, when taking a Maori worldview as a paradigmatic point of reference, exploration of interactions that highlight spiritual dimensions in social activity is enhanced. Finally, organisational culture as a theoretical domain enables substantive based analysis of active interpretation of Maori culture. The interrelatedness of relationships between humanity, the natural world and the spiritual world is revealed in this analysis (Marsden, 1985; Barlow, 1991; Metge, 1967, 1976,2001; Durie, 1998; Walker, 1975; Henare, 2003; Cajete, 2000; Deloria, 2005). Implicit in framing analysis in a Maori worldview is an overarching philosophical orientation that, in a holistic sense, is oriented by a matrix of beliefs that include tikanga te ao marama (wholeness and cosmos), tikanga te ao hurihuri (tradition and change), tikanga wairuatanga (spirituality), tikanga hau (spiritual basis of reciprocity in relationships) (Henare, 2003). In order to elucidate the propositions outlined In a substantive way, this thesis explores the following: I. theorising "culture" and cultural dynamics in social interaction II. a Maori worldview, with a focus on beliefs, values and symbol systems III. institutional innovation in Maori organisation, more specifically, ways in which Maori are organising themselves in order to enhance and advance individual and collective aspirations IV. organizational cultural orientations from a Maori perspective A meta-theoretical approach, participatory action research and reflexive interpretation were important features of this research. The form and shape of a meta theory emerged in the final stages of analysis. For the purposes of structuring reflection, I develop and articulate this meta theory as a metaphorical framework; Waka Aoturoa, Kainga, Marae and Pa Taua and outline this briefly.