Secrecy at Work: The Hidden Architecture of Organizational Life

by Jana Costas, Jana Costas

Secrecy is endemic within organizations, woven into the fabric of our lives at work. Yet, until now, we've had an all-too-limited understanding of this powerful organizational force. Secrecy is a part of work, and keeping secrets is a form of work. But also, secrecy creates a social order—a hidden architecture within our organizations. Drawing on previously overlooked texts, as well as well-known classics, Jana Costas and Christopher Grey identify three forms of secrecy: formal secrecy, as we see in the case of trade and state secrets based on law and regulation; informal secrecy based on networks and trust; and public or open secrecy, where what is known goes undiscussed. Animated with evocative examples from scholarship, current events, and works of fiction, this framework presents a bold reimagining of organizational life.

214 pages, Paperback

Published March 30, 2016

About the author

Jana Costas is Professor of People, Work and Management at the European University Viadrina, Germany.

Reviews

[Luke V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to consider the different types of secrecy that exist in the workplace. I would have loved more discussion of the transparency v secrecy tradeoffs, but that's not this book. It's simply an analysis of the processes of secrecy, not about value judgments of secrecy of different types (formal, informal, even public secrecy, which was fascinating to consider).

[Mills College Library]

302.35 C838 2016