Linkages and entrainment

Abstract

Entrainment is a theory of causality wherein different but proximate actants are tied to one another in complementary rhythms. Entrainment proposes a naturalism of interrelatedness. Manuel DeLanda has explored the logic of social entrainment. Opposing assumptions are found in Actor Network Theory. ANT merges the sociology of knowledge and an analysis of power into a theory of pragmatic causality. Social causality is in ANT (micro‐) politically constructed. The goal of this paper is to examine entrainment as a generative theory of social construction wherein linkages of ideas, persons, actions, events and objects, unlike in ANT's translation are not saturated by (principles of) social power. Illustrations of how entrainment and ANT hold up in practice are provided.

Citation

Letiche, H. and Hagemeijer, R.E. (2004), "Linkages and entrainment", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 365-382. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534810410545128