A meme-based research programme for management and organization studies

Memes are proposed as cultural equivalents to genes, and meme-based research (memetics) has been undertaken to examine cultural aspects of management and organization studies (MOS). However, variable operationalization of the meme concept for a fragmented range of research topics has hampered the development of a coherent memetic MOS discipline. In particular, there is a largely unrecognized dilemma regarding the ontological status of the meme because it is unclear if the concept represents a real cultural gene-like entity or a gene metaphor. This paper provides a fresh view of the applications of the meme in MOS and the degree to which fundamental meme theory supports the memetic endeavour for the field. The paper aims to improve the accessibility of memetics to MOS scholars, whose interests involve cultural phenomena, by summarizing the heterogeneity in the extant research and providing the basis for the next stage of the memetic MOS research programme. A conceptualization is provided to show how applications of the meme can be made, either as a real gene-like entity or a gene metaphor. Ideas are provided for how research can be conducted that will contribute to MOS and support evaluation of the ontological status of the meme.