Fictions: Legal and Organizational

Abstract

The article analyzes the role of organizational fictions, that are planned, within the formal authority structure, and deceive no one, because no one believes them to be true. An example might be the deference given to an owner's incompetent son-in-law, who is temporarily tolerated by the organization in order to achieve a long term goal. The article discusses legal fictions, scientific abstraction as negative fiction, possible managerial uses of quasi-legal fictions, ombudsman v. bureaucracy, and organizational fictions and their dangers. The author argues that these organizational fictions are necessary for the conduct of business.