Thomas Greenfield and the quest for meaning in organizations: A postponed dialogue with Ludwig Wittgenstein

In this article, I highlight the role of the notion of meaning for educational administration. I draw attention to Thomas Greenfield's theses regarding the role of meanings in organization. I explore the relations between Greenfield's thesis about meaning in organization and Ludwig Wittgenstein's thoughts about language and meaning. I shed some light on the encounters and distances between these two thinkers. My account is both exploratory and critical. On the one hand, I point to the relationships between meaning, practices, and action in organization. On the other hand, I identify one aspect of Greenfield's thought that can be further explored in the light of Wittgenstein' s remarks about the public character of meaning.