Organizational Metapaiterns

Abstract

Recurring tacit patterns of relationships, called here metapatterns, represent an important, but largely neglected, focus for researchers interested in organizational culture. How metapatterns emerge and how they manifest themselves in organizational behavior is discussed at some length. Metapatterns, which comprise the tacit level of interpersonal and group interaction in organizations, are linked to other levels of analysis. The implications of metapatterns for the study of organizations are examined.