Ilkin Mehrabov
Researcher
Conceptualizing Flexible Organizational Structures in Social Movements of Neglected Geographies: A Case Study of the Shame Movement’s Transformation in Georgia
Author
Summary, in English
The success of social movements is highly dependent on their sustainability, as in their efforts to produce meaningful change, they inevitably encounter oppressive dominant forces. With the advent of the social media era, scholarly research on collective action has acquired an additional dimension, bringing the role of their communicative constitution to the forefront of discussions. However, a decade after the first phenomena of digitally mediated uprisings, such as the Arab Spring and the Occupy Wall Street emerged, scholars arrived at the understanding that while digital tools can help diffuse collective identity and organize mobilization, they alone do not suffice to account for their sustainability (and, on the contrary, have to take into account the possible repercussions arising from the use of private social media sites, especially within the context of non-Western, often time over-looked or simply neglected geographies).
In order to understand how a modern collective actor resists the system and produces change, espe-cially within structurally diverse settings of the Global South, this research closely follows the pro-cess of its emergence and transformation. Notably, this study looks at the case of the Shame Move-ment in Georgia, a small post-Soviet state in Caucasus, from the strategic communication perspec-tive, starting at its inception as a reactionary protest to a social movement and a registered organiza-tion, all within a span of six months. Because of the constant internal and external transformations, Shame Movement is referred to in this study as a ‘collective actor’, a term that best incorporates all the stages of its development.
Building upon the understanding of an organization as a process and of a structure as a combination of human and non-human agency, the research introduces the concept of flexible organizational structures, which develop in consequence to resistance. The study reveals that despite its initial ap-pearance of chaos, the collective actor invariably possessed organizational structures, notably those of Identity, Decision-Making, Leadership and Membership, albeit in overlapping and constantly changing forms. These structures were negotiated and solidified in both digital and physical spaces, including a private, closed Facebook group and rallies. As they confronted oppressive dominant forces, the structures became progressively rigid, establishing increasingly stringent boundaries around themselves and the movement. In theory, flexible organizational structures conceptualize the fluid nature of the organizational structures of the collective actors and their inclination towards progressive rigidity in the face of oppression. In practical terms, flexible organizational structures encompass the stages of the collective actor’s inevitable organizational transformation: as the human agency becomes increasingly concentrated in fewer individuals responsible for organization, and the digital and physical spaces become progressively exclusive, shifting from the Facebook group to a chat group and from rallies to offices.
In order to understand how a modern collective actor resists the system and produces change, espe-cially within structurally diverse settings of the Global South, this research closely follows the pro-cess of its emergence and transformation. Notably, this study looks at the case of the Shame Move-ment in Georgia, a small post-Soviet state in Caucasus, from the strategic communication perspec-tive, starting at its inception as a reactionary protest to a social movement and a registered organiza-tion, all within a span of six months. Because of the constant internal and external transformations, Shame Movement is referred to in this study as a ‘collective actor’, a term that best incorporates all the stages of its development.
Building upon the understanding of an organization as a process and of a structure as a combination of human and non-human agency, the research introduces the concept of flexible organizational structures, which develop in consequence to resistance. The study reveals that despite its initial ap-pearance of chaos, the collective actor invariably possessed organizational structures, notably those of Identity, Decision-Making, Leadership and Membership, albeit in overlapping and constantly changing forms. These structures were negotiated and solidified in both digital and physical spaces, including a private, closed Facebook group and rallies. As they confronted oppressive dominant forces, the structures became progressively rigid, establishing increasingly stringent boundaries around themselves and the movement. In theory, flexible organizational structures conceptualize the fluid nature of the organizational structures of the collective actors and their inclination towards progressive rigidity in the face of oppression. In practical terms, flexible organizational structures encompass the stages of the collective actor’s inevitable organizational transformation: as the human agency becomes increasingly concentrated in fewer individuals responsible for organization, and the digital and physical spaces become progressively exclusive, shifting from the Facebook group to a chat group and from rallies to offices.
Department/s
- Department of Strategic Communication
- Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)
- MECW: The Middle East in the Contemporary World
Publishing year
2024-06-20
Language
English
Document type
Conference paper: abstract
Topic
- Media and Communication Studies
- Information Systems, Social aspects (including Human Aspects of ICT)
Keywords
- Communication Constitutes Organization
- Collective Action
- Structural Resilience
- Digital Activism
- Shame Movement
Conference name
ICA (International Communication Association) 2024 Preconference: “Repressed Histories of Communication and Media Studies.”
Conference date
2024-06-20 - 2024-06-20
Conference place
Gold Coast, Australia
Status
Unpublished