Less-hierarchical organizing constituted within power-resistance dynamics

Self-managed organizations and less-hierarchical forms of organizing have recently – once again – been under intensive scrutiny. Yet, the focus of research and debate has centered on the characteristics of less hierarchical organizations. Less attention has been paid to the dynamic nature of less hierarchical organizing. Drawing from feminist performative theorizing we examine how less hierarchical organizing is constituted and constituting within the web of relations which is also a web of power. Our empirical data stems from in-depth interviews with members of an editorial team in a Nordic fashion and lifestyle–magazine. The contribution of our study is to elucidate how the dialectics of power-resistance dynamics constitute and is constituting in a continuous becoming of less hierarchical organizing. We also offer an awareness about the sensations and affective intensities contributing to the less-hierarchical organizing.