When does the owl of Minerva spread its wings? Shadow organizing and modes of inquiry

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critique the metaphor of shadow organizing in relation to researchers' allegedly ontological commitment to processual metaphysics. Design/methodology/approach The paper focuses on the association of shadow organizing with post-epistemologies that are grounded in process ontology. The investigation examines aspects of relational thinking and is guided by John Dewey and Arthur Bentley's genealogical reconstruction of modes of inquiry. Findings Inquiry is construed in either substantialist or relational ways by researchers. By using the metaphor of shadow organizing, the relational aspects of organizational phenomena are prioritized for explorative purposes. Other research objectives are aided by substantialist modes of inquiry. It is the argument of the paper, however, that relational research approaches need not make commitment to process ontology, and that the relational ambitions imbued in the metaphor of shadow organizing are in fact better honored for their methodological virtues. Originality/value The paper's original contribution consists in critiquing post-epistemological attempts to ground organization studies in ontological first principles of process metaphysics. The paper argues that the metaphor of shadow organizing is a promising concept that is better appreciated as a methodological move than an ontological commitment.