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About
Secrecy is endemic within organizations, woven into the fabric of our lives at work. Yet, until now, we've had an all-too-limited understanding of this powerful organizational force. Secrecy is a part of work, and keeping secrets is a form of work. But also, secrecy creates a social order-a hidden architecture within our organizations. Drawing on previously overlooked texts, as well as well-known classics, Jana Costas and Christopher Grey identify three forms of secrecy: formal secrecy, as we see in the case of trade and state secrets based on law and regulation; informal secrecy based on networks and trust; and public or open secrecy, where what is known goes undiscussed. Animated with evocative examples from scholarship, current events, and works of fiction, this framework presents a bold reimagining of organizational life.
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Reviews
"Secrecy exists everywhere. It is essential to everyday interactions and to the functioning of organizations. Costas and Grey's book draws on classical theories, contemporary research, and a wide range of telling present-day examples. They have written a pioneering, highly readable study; full of insights about how secrecy works, their book will help to focus future research on this wonderful topi
New York University
"In their brilliant analysis, Costas and Grey break open a seam of organizing that we really haven't noticed till now. Of course organizations are structured around secrets, who is in the know and who isn't. Often fascinating, sometimes scary, this book reveals the ubiquity and potency of secrecy."
Melbourne Business School
"We think of secrets as nouns, gems hidden by organizations. This compelling book challenges that idea, revealing secrecy as a verb-a ubiquitous mode of communication that constitutes organizational life. More than something that organizations have or do, Costas and Grey expose secrecy as a process that makes organizations what they are."
University of Colorado Boulder