Searching for diverse images of the organisation: Exploring Indigenous business.

Abstract

This article will examine the use of metaphors by Indigenous people, practitioners and scholars in the conceptualisation of organisations. Indigenous people hold unique knowledge systems, have diverse understandings with regard to economic development (Kuokkanen, 2011) and utilise alternative organizational systems, processes, and structures (Mika & O’Sullivan, 2014). While these differences exist, scholarly literature knows very little about the metaphorical images of Indigenous organising. Our, preliminary work has shown some of these metaphors to include; guardians, navigators, kinship, innovators and weavers of complexity. We propose that organisational metaphors provide key functions to assist with opening up new worlds and conversations.